Justice Chaudhry says government has no constitutional authority, ruling at its own
risk g Provincial government failed to provide security to citizens

g

ISLAMABAD
agEnciEs

C

HIEF Justice of Pakistan
Iftikhar
Muhammad
Chaudhry on Wednesday said
the provincial government in
Balochistan had no constitutional authority and was “ruling at its own risk”.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday announced its interim order in
the Balochistan law and order case
that stated that the government was
responsible for providing security to
the people and the federal and

Balochistan governments had failed
to do so. The order said the distress of
families of missing persons was increasing by the day. The chief justice
said the Balochistan chief minister
should take the responsibility for the
continued killings and disappearances across the province instead of
blaming the police force.
In response, the Balochistan advocate general said if the court ordered, the provincial government
could resign the very day. However,
the CJ said the judges did not know
what the government wanted to do.

“The lawyers should read the consti- tan said how could the doctors be on
duty when their lives were in danger.
tution and the order,” he added.
The lawyer for the provincial govern- Chief Justice Chaudhry said the situment, Shahid Hamid, requested the court ation in the province would not return
to ask the doctors to end their strike in to normal unless the government took
Balochistan. But Justice Chaudhry said the issue seriously.
Referring to the continued killing,
why should the court pass such an order,
adding that the government should first he questioned what had the Shia community, police and FC done wrong.
provide security to the doctors.
The CJ said over 75 hearings had
Hamid said a high-level committee had been set up to probe into the been conducted in the Balochistan
deteriorating security situation and law and order case, but the situation
the chief minister was also part of the on the ground remained critical.
committee. The president of Pakistan
Medical Association (PMA) Balochis- Dismissing govts not court’s job: shah | Page 03

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Election
Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to conduct proper and
complete door-to-door verification of electoral rolls in Karachi
for conducting free, fair and transparent election. The court
also directed ECP, if required, to take assistance of the army
and Frontier Constabulary (FC) for carrying out the process. A
three-member SC bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad
Chaudhry, Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Gulzar
Ahmed announced judgment in identical petitions, filed by
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan, the PML-N
and Jamaat-e-Islami seeking verification of the voter’s lists in
Karachi. The 24-page judgment said in view of the peculiar
security situation in Karachi , such verification must be carried
out by the ECP with the help and assistance of Pakistan Army
and the FC. The judgment also ruled that voters should not be
transferred from one area to another without their (voters)
consent, as it is right of every citizen to cast vote at his/her
desired place. The court ruled that it was clear that electoral
rolls of the city of Karachi were required to be revised by the
ECP. Earlier, the court on November 28, 2012, had reserved
the judgment in the instant case after hearing to both parties.
The court had accepted the concerns expressed by Pakistan
People’s Party, Jamaat-e-Islami and Tehreek-e-Insaaf about
the shifting of voters name from Karachi to other provinces,
directing the Election Commission of Pakistan to examine the
matter per the consent of the people in Karachi.
continueD on Page 04

With the general elections approaching, the
credibility of all ruling parties in the country
suffered a major blow on Wednesday with the
release of the Transparency International’s (TI)
annual report.
The report listed Pakistan as the 33rd most
corrupt country in the world, as it slipped down
nine ranks from its last year’s place as the 42nd
most corrupt country. Denmark, Finland and
New Zealand emerged as the cleanest nations
as far as corruption was concerned, and tied at
first place with scores of 90 each, thanks to the
strong access to information systems and rules
governing the behaviour of those in public positions. Meanwhile, Afghanistan, North Korea
and Somalia once again were seen clinging to
the bottom rung of the index and were declared
the most corrupt states. In these countries, the
lack of accountability of leadership and effective public institutions underscored the need
to take a much stronger stance against corruption, according to the report.
The TI’s Corruption Perceptions Index
(CPI) 2012 had ranked 176 countries by their
perceived levels of public sector corruption. The
index assigned scores of between one and 100,
where one was perceived to be highly corrupt
and 100 being very clean.
Rampant corruption in Pakistan has intensified as the country entered into the election
year. During this time all the federal and
provincial governments were more or less involved in dolling out tens of billions of rupees
to their members of parliament (MPs) in the

name of development projects to attract a large
number of voters in the next elections.
“Governments need to integrate anti-corruption actions into all public decision-making forums. Priorities include better rules on
lobbying and political financing, making public spending and contracting more transparent and making public bodies more
accountable to people,” said TI Chair of the
Board of Directors Huguette Labelle.
The report added that a growing outcry
over corrupt governments forced out several
leaders from office last year, but as the dust
gradually cleared, it had become apparent that
the levels of bribery, abuse of power and secret
dealings were still very high in many countries.
The TICPI 2012 showed that corruption
continued to ravage societies around the world.
Two thirds of the 176 countries ranked in this
year’s index scored below 50, showing that public institutions needed to be more transparent,
and powerful officials more accountable.
TI Pakistan Chairman Sohail Muzaffar said
Pakistan’s CPI rank had fallen by nine positions
which was not a good sign.
Even the National Accountability Bureau
(NAB) chairman had declared that daily corruption in the country was estimated at Rs 7 billion, which meant that in five years the figure
would reach a staggering Rs 12,600 billion.
Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) member Asrar Rauf said by collecting Rs 150 billion in January and February, the FBR would
whiten Rs 15,000 billion under the new Tax
Amnesty Scheme, adding that in the last five
years the total FBR collection was approximately Rs 7,500 billion.

SC StayS CNG tariff
uNtil fiNal deCiSioN
ISLAMABAD
sTaFF REPORT

The Supreme Court on Wednesday
sought details from OGRA regarding the
action taken each year against CNG
stations for not complying with terms
and conditions mentioned in licences, as
it rejected a proposal to increase the CNG
prices and stayed the prices at the current
level. A two-member bench of Justice
Jawwad S Khawaja and Justice Khilji Arif
Hussain resumed hearing in the case
regarding CNG prices.
In his remarks, Justice Khawaja said
there was a cartel in the country and it
appeared as if prices were fixed on its
demands. He said business was done on
basis of profit. “If it suits the
businessmen, they must carry on, or else
they should shut down the business.”
He added that the court wanted to
scrutinise the issue per law and did not
care whether CNG stations were closed or

phased out. The bench directed OGRA to
furnish the details of total number of
applications received for setting up CNG
Stations each year since 2002. The court
also directed the Federal Board of
Revenue (FBR) to submit the details the
owners of CNG stations who filed their
tax returns and the amount of taxes, if
any, paid by them during the last three
years. Rejecting CNG owners’ association
plea to increase the CNG prices, the court
observed that current prices would be
maintained until the case was decided.
The court demanded from OGRA a list of
the total number of applications rejected
each year since 2002, total number of
applicants allowed provisional licences
each year, total number of marketing
licences allowed each year, total number
of stations actually set up each year that
became operational and the total
number of stations that provided
audited accounts and income tax
returns each year since 2002.
During the hearing, counsel for OGRA

informed the bench that a very limited
number of people had submitted their
audited accounts to OGRA, while a vast
majority had failed to do so despite
demands. “The demand for audited
accounts is supported prima facie, by the
statute i.e. the OGRA Ordinance and the
rules framed there under and under
other statutes,” the court observed. The
bench also said that reference was made
to a report which had been prepared by a
firm of accountants. The report, however,
was incomplete as it did not taken into
account the audited accounts of 3,395
CNG stations that were permitted to sell
CNG. The proceedings were adjourned
until today (Thursday) with directions to
OGRA to submit the demanded details.
Talking to reporters outside the SC, CNG
Association Chairman Ghayyas Paracha
said the court’s decision on the pricing
formula would be accepted by the CNG
dealers. The OGRA chief said the body
had failed to reach a consensus with CNG
dealers over the new pricing formula.

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‘over 200 CNG stations
involved in gas theft’
ISLAMABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister on Petroleum
Dr Asim Hussain on Wednesday said more than 200 CNG
filing stations across Pakistan were stealing gas. Talking to
reporters, Hussain said he had already informed the Oil
and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) about the theft, but
it had failed to take any action against the stations. He said
though he could not name each and every station, he had
provided a list of over 200 stations to OGRA, but it was not
taking any action against them. A rift emerged between the
government and All Pakistan CNG Stations Association
(APCNGSA) over the issue of gas prices, as the government
was keen to implement the Supreme Court’s decision and
lower the prices, while the association was demanding an
increase in gas prices. OnlinE

eCP takes notice of aerial
firing in by-elections
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan
(ECP) has taken serious notice of incessant firing with
lethal weapons at the houses of winning candidates after
the results of Tuesday’s by-elections were announced. A
first information report (FIR) has been registered against
those responsible for firing in Sialkot, while three of the
accused have been arrested and their weapons have been
seized. The Punjab election commissioner has also been
directed to contact the Punjab chief secretary in order to
lodge an FIR against the miscreants involved in aerial firing
which caused harassment, fear and injuries in the
constituencies. Miscreants of the other constituencies have
also been arrested for the violation of Section 144 of the
Criminal Penal Code and for causing harassment and fear
among the people. A letter has been sent to various TV
channels to send the footage of the firing, caught on their
cameras, to the ECP. Also, a meeting of the Election
Commission of Pakistan is going to be held in Karachi on
Friday to discuss the recent by-elections in Punjab and
Sindh, the issue of dual nationalities, the electoral rolls and
some other important administrative matters. OnlinE

Police arrest Karachi
cleric’s murderer
West Karachi DIG Javed Odho has said that the police
have arrested the accused involved in the murder of Qari
Hassan Naseer, a 40-year-old prayer leader who was shot
dead in a mosque in New Karachi on Wednesday,
according to a report by a private TV channel. Addressing
a press conference, Odho said that the alleged culprit was
trying to flee from the crime scene but his motorcycle
failed to start and he was arrested, adding that the
accused was accompanied by two other men who
managed to escape. Odho said that the accused had
admitted to his crime and had also disclosed that he was
assigned the task of killing Qari Hassan Naseer by the
Taliban, adding that he had trained in Mansehra for 21
days before embarking on the mission and he received Rs
15,000 per month for the job. “The imam had to be killed
because he had started leaking classified information,” the
DIG quoted the accused. MOniTORing dEsK

KP government all set to
bring lB law
PEShAwAr: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has
given approval to implement the Local Government Act in
the province from January 2013. Sources said with the
implementation of the new law, the local bodies system
introduced in 2001 as well as all the LB institutions would
be dissolved and municipal committees in urban areas and
union councils in rural areas would be revived
simultaneously. According to the proposed act, the
number of members in each UC would be 11 of which there
would be seven Muslims members and two seats would be
reserved for women. One minority member and one
labourer would be included in each UC. The chairman of
the UC would be a general member. The general members
for district council would be elected directly. OnlinE

HILE former Islamabad additional
deputy commissioner Maryam
Khan’s ‘illegal’ removal from her
post is still making headlines, another case of victimisation of a female bureaucrat has come to the surface.
According to reports, Islamabad Assistant Commissioner (AC) Rabia Aurangzaib sealed 72 kanals of
disputed land valued over Rs 1 billion on August 16,
2012 against the “directions” of her bosses.
The very next day, Islamabad Chief Commissioner Tariq Mehmood Pirzada removed her from
the post and made her an officer on special duty
(OSD). Although Rabia’s removal occurred prior to
that of Maryam Khan, the former filed a case after
she saw that Khan’s case was being taken seriously.
The parties to the dispute are Pir of Golra Sharif Syed
Abdul Haq Gilani and Service Co-operative Housing
Society. Sources said Rabia was verbally instructed
by the chief commissioner not to seal the land, but
she passed the order nevertheless.
As a result, she was removed the very next day
and was made an OSD, merely after a month of her
posting. She was replaced by an under training officer, Waqas Rashid. In 2009, a committee headed by
then deputy commissioner Asadullah Faiz also heard
this case in length and decided that the piece of land
should remain sealed. “Section 145 of the Code of
Criminal Procedures (CCP) must remain intact until
any collective decision regarding the dispute of the
possession and ownership is taken by any court of
competent jurisdiction,” the meeting decided.
On August 16, 2012, Rabia conducted a detailed
hearing and decided that the disputed land should
remain sealed. Before making her judgment, she also
sought the police report from Golra police station
house officer. “I am of the opinion that when the Islamabad DC headed the committee he gave a very
clear verdict that as both the parties claim possession
of the same land and that the matter is still sub-judice
before the Islamabad High Court, the vacation of section 145 of the CCP amounts to a glare violation of
the verdict given by Islamabad DC and will cause a
law and order situation at the site. Therefore, the proceedings under Section 145 shall remain intact till
further orders of a competent court,” she said in her
decision.
However, her replacement, Waqas Rashid re-

SC takes suo motu notice over
harassment of govt officers
ISLAMABAD: Taking suo motu notice over
the harassment of government officers, the
Supreme Court on Wednesday issued
summons to the Attorney General, Federal
Investigation Agency (FIA) Additional
Director General Hussain Asghar, Islamabad
Additional Deputy Commissioner (DC)
Maryam Khan and former SP (Industrial
Area) Dr Khurram Rashid and fixed the
hearing date for Thursday (today). The FIA
additional DG, who had been heading a probe
into the Hajj scandal, was summoned by the
National Assembly Privilege Committee on
December 3. Last week, Islamabad additional
DC was made officer on special duty (OSD) for
not following the wishes and whims of seniors.
She was followed by SP (Industrial Area) Dr
Khurram Rashid who surrendered his post on
December 2. OnlinE
versed her orders, but the same was stayed by the
session’s court. On October 22, the AC wrote a letter
to the interior secretary and narrated her tale, but no
action was taken. In her letter, she said: “On August
13 (just after three weeks as AC Saddar), I was verbally asked by the chief commissioner to open the
case of a property located in Golra, Islamabad which
had been sealed by my predecessors. When I went
over the latest police report on August 13, I realised
that the opening of the case would lead to a law and
order situation. I, therefore, ordered the land remain
sealed. As a result, I was transferred by the chief commissioner the very next day. When I went to see him,
he reprimanded me and said I was not a good officer
and not even a person worth talking to. It is the start
of my career and I’m being punished for an act which
I did judiciously and as per law. I was transferred only
because I did not obey the illegal orders of the chief
commissioner and did the right thing.”
Islamabad Chief Commissioner Tariq Mehmood
Pirzada said, “Yes, I had directed Rabia Aurangzaib
to open the case because we cannot keep the property
of citizens sealed.” Asked why Rabia was removed a
day after she gave her verdict over the disputed land,
the commissioner said there were a number of complaints against her.

FAISALABAD: World Snooker
Champion Muhammad Asif is
being warmly welcomed by the
people of his residential area on
his arrival. Asif clinched the
world title after defeating
England’s Gary Wilson. ONLINE

4 injured in Quetta,
Kohlu violence
QUETTA: Four people, including a
policeman were injured in a landmine
blast and firing incident in Kohlu and
Quetta districts, respectively, on
Wednesday. Levies officials said a vehicle
carrying two people, identified as
Mohammad Iqbal and Abdul Khaliq, hit a
landmine in Kohlu. As a result both
received serious injuries. They were
shifted to District Headquarter Hospital
for treatment. Officials said their
condition was serious. Separately, two
people, including a policeman, received
injuries in a firing incident in Quetta.
Policeman Naseer Ahmad and Mohammad
Zareef were on their way on Sariab Road
when unidentified armed men opened fire
on them. As a result, both sustained
injuries and were shifted to hospital.
Police have registered a case and started
investigation. sHaHzada zulFiqaR

Nearly 83,000 Afghan refugees return home from Pakistan this year
ISLAMABAD
nni

The United Nations (UN) refugee agency on
Wednesday said nearly 83,000 Afghan refugees
had returned home this year through its assisted
voluntary repatriation programme, which is a 24
percent increase from 2011.
In November this year, more than 8,200
Afghan refugees returned to Afghanistan as compared with 3,000 a year earlier. However, Pakistan
was still hosting some 1.65 million Afghan refugees
and another one million undocumented Afghans,
the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) said.
Voluntary repatriation had remained the
UNHCR’s preferred solution globally for most
refugees. Since 2002, around 5.7 million Afghan
refugees have returned to their home country,
constituting nearly a quarter of the country’s
population. Nevertheless, Pakistan and Iran
were still generously hosting some 2.7 million
Afghan refugees after three decades, a UNHCR
statement said.
The Pakistani government had been holding

informal consultations to formulate a policy beyond December 31, 2012, a date set for the Afghan
refugees to return homes.
Earlier, Pakistan had issued Proof of Registration Cards (PoRs) to Afghan refugees that would
expire on December 31 this year and the government had not yet decided to extend its period. Pakistan said that it would treat all Afghan refugees as
illegal immigrants after the expiry of the PoRs.
The Pakistani Minister for States and Frontier Regions Engineer Shaukatullah Khan, whose
ministry had also been dealing with the refugees
affairs, concluded a three-day visit to
Afghanistan on Tuesday and had assured the
Afghan leaders that Pakistan would not forcibly
expel the Afghans from its soil.
The minister also called on Afghan President
Hamid Karzai and expressed his commitment to
the voluntary return of Afghan refugees to their
homeland, while also hoping that the Pakistani
government would soon agree to a mechanism in
this respect to ensure a voluntary and dignified return of the refugees. During this meeting, emphasis
was made on the voluntary nature of return by the
Afghan president, the UNHCR said.

The minister also saw first-hand the implementation of the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Returnees (SSAR) in Afghanistan, and the conditions
in which refugee return was taking place.
Together with the Minister for Refugees and
Repatriation Dr. Jamaher Anwary, he visited two
high-return areas where they met groups of returnees from Pakistan. They were also accompanied by representatives of the UNHCR in
Afghanistan and Pakistan, including the UNHCR
representative in Pakistan Neill Wright.
The delegations while meeting with the recently returned refugees from Pakistan, witnessed
the many needs still faced by the returnees as winter season approached. Later they visited several
already completed projects including a new school.
It is pertinent to mention here that voluntary
repatriation and sustainable reintegration were at
the center of the SSAR that was endorsed at an international conference in Geneva in May this year.
“However, we need development funding and development actors to urgently become more engaged in supporting sustainable reintegration for
refugees, through the implementation of this strategy, “said Dr. Anwary.

AKISTAN
Muslim
League–Nawaz (PMLN) President Nawaz
Sharif on Wednesday
expressed
concern
over the situation in Karachi, saying the government’s coalition
partners in the Sindh Assembly
were worsening the law and order
in the city through their militant
wings.
Speaking in a meeting with
PML-N Sindh leaders Ghous Ali
Shah, Mamnoon Hussain, Liaqat
Jatoi, Marvi Memon, Salim Zia,
Ameer Hussain Bhutto and others,
the PML-N chief said the parties
responsible for Karachi violence
were in cahoots with the government and they all were concealing
each others’ crimes.
The PML-N chief said the government was doing great injustice
to Pakistan by neglecting Karachi.
He vowed that if elected to

power, the PML-N would transform Sindh’s conditions and restore peace in Karachi.
Nawaz added that the government was doing injustice with the
country and there was illegal occupation of land in Karachi.
He said the PML-N opposed
the Sindh local government ordinance and his party stood with the
nationalist parties on the issue of
dual local government system. He
called the ordinance akin to a division of Sindh.
Supporting Supreme Court orders to recheck electoral lists in
Karachi, the PML-N president said
the government should act upon
orders of the apex court to conduct free and fair election.
Nawaz said building the controversial Kalabagh Dam without
national consensus was not in the
country’s interest.
The controversial project
could only be initiated if consensus was created among the four
provinces, he added.

NAB to probe Asghar
Khan case ‘on merit’
National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Punjab Director General
Khurshid Anwar Bhinder has said his department will not
succumb to any pressure if it is assigned probe into the Asghar
Khan case, a private TV channel reported on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters, he said NAB was not dealing with any
political case, adding that the investigation would be carried out
on merit if his department was assigned with any such case. The
NAB DG said there was no corruption in the bureau and if
anybody had any evidence against NAB, he should come forward
and present it. MOniTORing dEsK

MULTAN
aPP

Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khosa on Wednesday alleged that the ruling party in Punjab – the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) – had used the government’s
machinery to rig the by-polls held on Tuesday. Talking to
reporters after chairing a Senate meeting of the Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) at the Institute of Management Sciences (IMS), he alleged that the PML-N had once
again robbed the people’s mandate by rigging the bypolls. He said the PML-N had not learnt a lesson from the
Supreme Court’s (SC) verdict in the Asghar Khan case.
Khosa urged the SC to take suo motu action on drastic violation of the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP)
code of conduct in the by-elections at Cheecha Watni and
other places. Talking about a caretaker setup, he suggested that all political parties should be consulted while
selecting the name of caretaker prime minister and chief
ministers.To a question, the governor said that after the
introduction of the 20th Amendment in the constitution,
the leader of the House and opposition leader in the National Assembly would consult each other to agree on a
name for the position of caretaker prime minister, and if
they fail to reach consensus, an eight-member committee
of parliamentarians from both the treasury and opposition benches would recommend a name, and even then if
the committee did not reach a consensus, the ECP would
suggest a name to fill the position.

PIA’s UK manager
refuses to accept
suspension orders
LONDON

Majid KHaTTaK

Pakistan International Airlines’
(PIA) United Kingdom Manager
Mansoor Mela, who was suspended by the PIA management
for delaying President Asif Ali
Zardari’s flight from London to
Pakistan last month, has refused
to accept his suspension orders,
sources told Pakistan Today on
Wednesday.
According
to
reports,
Zardari’s flight got delayed when
the president, on his arrival at the
airport, was informed that PIA’s
country manager was not present
at the airport and had not issued
any directions to facilitate the departure of the president’s plane
on time. Complaining about the
“lack of care and protocol”, the
president’s military secretary

protested to the Ministry of Defence and sought immediate suspension of Mela. The ministry
complied.
However, sources in London
have claimed that Mela has ignored his suspension orders and
is still holding on to the office and
takes all policy decisions as PIA’s
country manager in UK.
PIA sources in Karachi said
Mela’s brother was a federal minister and was trying his best to get
Mela reinstated.
“But the new PIA managing
director is an upright and honest
officer, who does not give in to
political pressure. Therefore, the
cancellation of his suspension
orders in unlikely,” the source
added. PIA Media Relations
Manager Sultan Hasan said he
was not bound to comment on
the development.

Nawaz was also critical of the
PML-Q, saying the party’s politics were beyond comprehension. He said his party had
played its role to enable the parliament complete its term.
Nawaz said if his party had not
been in the way, President Asif Ali
Zardari would have taken
several
steps
to
weaken democracy
in the country.
“But the president
always tried to
weaken the Punjab
government,” he said.
Nawaz added
that the PMLN was a national party
and its presence
in
all
provinces was a
symbol of unity.
He announced to run
a full-fledged election
campaign across Sindh.

By-poll wins can’t bring tsunami
of change, says Imran
LAhOrE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf
(PTI) Chief Imran Khan on Wednesday
said a tsunami of change could not be
brought through wins in by-elections.
Khan was apparently taking a jibe at the
PML-N, which swept seven seats in byelections held in nine constituencies
across the country on Tuesday. Talking to
reporters at Lahore airport, Khan said
PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto himself
brought the change after sweeping the
general election. The PTI chairman said
Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar
Mohammad Chaudhry was the only ray of
hope for the deprived people of Pakistan,
as he had given historic verdicts.
“Hopefully the independent election commission will conduct free and fair
polls,” he added. Khan added that distributing laptops would not earn the
PML-N any fame, adding that the next general election would prove who
was more popular among the people. To a question on Kalabagh Dam, he
said the dam should be constructed after removing grievances of all
stakeholders. inP

Dismissing governments not
court’s job, says Shah
ISLAMABAD: Federal Religious Affairs Minister Syed Khurshid Ali Shah
on Wednesday said it was not the job of the judiciary to declare a government
constitutional or unconstitutional. Reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision
in Balochistan law and order case, he said courts did not have the authority to
dissolve governments or usher in new administrations. “Courts should not
give verdicts that create problems for everyone in the future.” Shah said that
the constitution provided clear methods for changing elected governments.
He said the Supreme Court should order delimitation of constituencies across
the country, not only in Karachi. Shah said the Asghar Khan Case had been
buried and government would not hand over Nawaz Sharif to FIA. “Some
elements are trying their utmost to create bad blood between political forces,”
he said. Shah said although past presidents had harmed democracy, the
incumbent was the “greatest defender of democracy”. Shah said President
Asif Ali Zardari would not participate in the campaign for the upcoming
general election. Moreover, he said none of the governors would be changed
in the caretaker setup for the upcoming election. agEnciEs

Information Minister Kaira says SCO to play effective role for peace in region

BISHKEK
nni

I

NDIA and Pakistan confirmed interest in becoming full-fledged
members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as the
heads of governments meeting of the SCO
countries concluded on Wednesday with
the signing of a series of joint documents.
Addressing the SCO Conference in
Kyrgyzstan‚ Information Minister
Qamar Zaman Kaira welcomed the
SCO’s decision to grant the status of observer state to Afghanistan and dialogue
partner status to Turkey. He also demanded the status of a member country
for Pakistan at the forum.
Praising the performance of the
SCO, Kaira hoped the organisation

would play an effective role in establishing peace and stability in the region.
The minister said Pakistan gave
much importance to the SCO with regard
to tackling terrorism as the regional
countries were facing a constant threat
of terrorism. “We are looking forward to
beginning work with you as a fullfledged member,” he said.
Meanwhile, Indian Deputy Foreign
Minister Sanjey Singh said, “We would be
very happy to continue working in SCO as
a full-fledged member as soon as the organisation makes a decision to expand.”
Earlier, the 11th heads of government meeting of the SCO opened on
Wednesday morning with a focus on
strengthening cooperation in economy
and cultural exchanges within the framework of the SCO.

The heads of government of China,
Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan approved the organisation’s budget for 2013.
The participants also signed a statement on the SCO Development Fund, a
joint communiqué and some SCO reports.
Meanwhile, the customs service
heads of the SCO countries signed a
memorandum of cooperation on protecting intellectual property rights and a
protocol to the agreement on interaction
in the provision of assistance in dealing
with the consequences of emergencies.
Leaders from the six SCO members’
states – China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan –
and SCO observer countries Mongolia,
Pakistan, Iran, India and Afghanistan attended the meeting.

US wants greater Pak-Afghan dialogue
WASHINGTON
OnlinE

Welcoming the recent “positive” talks
between the foreign ministers of
Afghanistan and Pakistan, the United
States has highlighted the need for
“greater dialogue” between the two
countries. “We’ve welcomed that kind of
cooperation. We want to see greater
dialogue between them,” State
Department spokesman Mark Toner
told reporters. “Obviously our role, as
well as Pakistan’s role, is the same. We
want to see an Afghan-led reconciliation
process. I think that we would view any
kind of dialogue between Afghanistan

and Pakistan that furthers that ultimate
goal to be very positive,” he said. The
US wants to play a facilitative role in
this process, Toner said in response to a
question. His remarks came days after
Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina
Rabbani Khar and her Afghan
counterpart Zalmai Rassoul held talks
in Islamabad. During their meeting,
Khar presented a draft of the Strategic
Partnership Agreement (SPA) to
Rassoul. Both ministers told a news
conference after their talks that they
would like the pact to be signed as soon
as possible, though Rassoul made it
clear that such an agreement required
“full trust” between the two sides.

SC directs ECP to conduct
continueD from Page 01

The court had directed the ECP
to examine the possibility of
reversing the names of voters
back to Karachi where their
names
were
previously
recorded, leaving an option
with such voters to transfer
their votes, if they desired, to
any other town/city of
Pakistan, by making a request
to the respective representative
of Election Commission of
Pakistan
before
the
announcement of the schedule
of elections. “There can be no
escape from the fact that a free,
fair, just and transparent
election is the very heart of our
democratic
system,
as
envisaged by the Constitution,”
the judgment added.
The court held that such
elections must not only be held
in a fair, just and honest
manner but also appear to be
so in order to inspire the
confidence of the electorate.
The judgment further ruled
that the provisions of Article
219 of the constitution and the
Electoral Rolls Act, 1974 and
rules framed there under must
necessarily be interpreted in
manner so as to achieve the
said object. Consequently, The
Election Commission must
fulfil its obligation cast upon it
by Article 218 to ensure holding
free, fair and transparent
elections and to achieve such
purpose seek assistance, if
necessary from the executive
authorities in the federation in

Thursday, 6 December, 2012

this behalf that are obliged to
render such assistance by
virtue of Article 220.
“There is no denial of the fact
that free, fair, honest,
transparent and just election is
demand of the day as the
parliamentary system of the
country is strengthening day
by day,” the court ruled, adding
that all eligible citizens had a
fundamental right of franchise,
which must be protected by
issuing appropriate directions.
The verdict observed that
Karachi had a peculiar
background that included a
serious law and order situation,
detailed stock of the same has
been taken by this court in the
case of Watan Party vs
Federation of Pakistan (PLD
2011 SC 997).
The court recalled that in the
said judgment categorical
directions were made for
delimitation
of
the
constituencies of Karachi with
the observation to avoid
political polarisation and to
break the cycle of ethnic strife
and turf war, boundaries of
administrative units like police
station, revenue estates, etc,
ought to be altered so that the
members
of
different
communities may live together
in peace and harmony, instead
of allowing various groups to
claim that particular areas
belonged to them and declare
certain areas as “no go” areas
under their fearful influence.
The judgment further ruled
that the discrepancies in the

electoral roll of Karachi
identified by the learned
counsel for the petitioners by
way of example, “examined in
conjunction
with
the
admitted position of the
Election Commission that a
door-to-door verification of
the entire residents of
Karachi had not been carried
out leads to the conclusion
that the electoral rolls of
Karachi do not inspire
confidence and the possibility
that a significant number of
residents of Karachi may
have been disenfranchised
cannot be ignored”.
“An accurate Electoral Roll is a
sine quo non for the holding of
a free, fair and transparent
election, which is not only the
command of the constitution
but also a fundamental right of
the citizens, which appears to
have been compromised qua
the residents of Karachi,” the
verdict added. The judgment
recalled that the court while
deciding the case of Workers’
Party Pakistan (supra) had
already
highlighted
the
importance of preparation of the
electoral list to ensure free and
fair elections and had held that
fair, free, honest and just
elections were since qua non for
strengthening of democracy. To
achieve this goal, accurate
preparation/revision of electoral
roll was immediately required to
be undertaken by the Election
Commission through credible
and independent agencies, the
ruling added.

Japan woman
arrested over
160 dogs living
in own waste
TOKYO
agEnciEs

A woman, who kept 160 starving dogs in her house among
tonnes of their own waste, has
been arrested by Japanese police, an official said on
Wednesday. Ten tonnes of animal waste and other rubbish
were removed from Noriko
Ishii’s house after the dogs
were taken away, he said. One
Bernese Mountain Dog kept by
Ishii, 43, weighed just seven
kilogrammes – a sixth of what
it should have, said the official
in Osaka, adding all the animals were “very scrawny”. Jobless Ishii could face a fine of up
to 500,000 yen ($6,000) if
convicted under Japan’s animal protection laws.

agEnciEs

Protests erupted between the
supporters of Egypt President
Mohamed Mursi and those
protesting against his new
‘sweeping powers’ on Wednesday, while inside the building
his deputy proposed a way to
end a crisis over a draft constitution that has split the most
populous Arab nation. Mursi’s
opponents also set fire to the
headquarters of the Muslim
Brotherhood’s political party
in Ismailia.
Stones and petrol bombs
flew outside the palace. Two
were hit in the legs by what their
friends said were bullets fired
during the clashes in streets
around the compound in north-

ern Cairo. One of them was
bleeding heavily. A leftist group
said Mursi’s supporters had cut
the ear off one of its members,
inflicting serious head wounds
on him. Riot police began to deploy between the two sides to try
to end the violence which flared
after dark despite an attempt by
Vice President Mahmoud Mekky
to calm the political crisis.
He said amendments to
disputed articles in the draft
constitution could be agreed
with the opposition. A written
agreement could then be submitted to the next parliament,
to be elected after a referendum on the constitution on
December 15. “There must be
consensus,” he told a news
conference, saying opposition
demands must be respected to

Hillary Clinton on Wednesday
bade farewell to her NATO allies after making her last appearance as US secretary of
state here, praising the military alliance for having made
“great strides”.
“I’ve spent a bit of my time
in this building over the past
four years, and I think it was
time well spent,” Clinton
mused, speaking after two days
of talks among the 28-member
alliance in Brussels.
“The alliance has made
great strides,” the top US
diplomat said, praising the 60year old organisation, founded
in the early days of the Cold
War, as one of the world’s
“greatest forces for stability
and security”. Clinton has been
a regular visitor to the rambling NATO headquarters over
the four years of her tenure, attending its six-monthly foreign
ministerial meetings. But she
is due to step down early in
2013, saying she wants to return to private life after two
decades in the public eye.
Rumours are rife in Washington about her potential successor, with US ambassador to
the United Nations Susan Rice

and veteran Democratic senator John Kerry the odds-on
favourites to head up America’s
diplomacy. But Rice’s long-held
hopes of getting the top job are
now hostage to Washington
power games as Republicans
gun for the UN envoy, claiming
she misled the American people over the attack on the US
mission in Benghazi, Libya on
September 11.
Clinton ran through a list of
the alliance’s achievements, including planning the drawdown of the NATO-led
operation in Afghanistan, “a
major successful operation in
Libya”, resuming deep-frozen
talks with Russia and the enlargement of the alliance.
The United States is “grateful” to NATO, Clinton said, insisting that the alliance is now
“needed more than ever and so
we must all continue to invest
in it. “After more than 60 years
it keeps us safe, it projects security and stability globally. And
through our partnerships we
are able to do more in more
places,” Clinton said.
“For the United States we
find it extremely valuable to be
able to consult closely with our
European allies on challenges
from Syria to the Middle East
and North Korea.”

overcome the crisis.
Opposition leader Amr
Moussa, a former foreign minister and secretary-general of
the Arab League, said Mursi
should make a formal offer for
dialogue if his opponents were
to consider seriously Mekky’s
ideas for a way out of the political impasse. “We are ready
when there is something formal,
something expressed in definite
terms, we will not ignore it,”
Moussa said during talks with
other opposition figures.
Opposition leaders have
previously urged Mursi to retract
a decree widening his powers,
defer the plebiscite and agree to
revise the constitution, but have
not echoed calls from street protesters for his overthrow and the
“downfall of the regime”.

China mine
blast kills 17
BEIJING
agEnciEs

A gas blast in a southwest China
coal mine left 17 people dead on
Wednesday, state press said of
the latest accident in the dangerous industry.
The explosion occurred at
the Shangchang Coal Mine in
Yunnan province on Wednesday
afternoon when 66 miners were
in the shaft, Xinhua news agency
said. Forty-nine miners were able
to safely escape the mine with
their lives, while the other 17 were
pronounced dead, the report
said. An investigation into the incident is ongoing. China is the
world’s biggest consumer of coal,
relying on the fossil fuel for about
70 per cent of its growing energy
needs. But its mines are among
the deadliest in the world due to
lax regulation, corruption and inefficiency. Accidents are common
because safety is often neglected
by bosses seeking quick profits.
According to the latest official
figures, 1,973 people died in
coal mining accidents in China
in 2011, a 19 percent fall on the
previous year. But labour rights
groups say the actual death toll
is likely to be much higher,
partly due to under-reporting
of accidents as mine bosses
seek to limit their financial
losses and avoid punishment.

ISB 06-12-2012_Layout 1 12/6/2012 2:18 AM Page 5

Thursday, 6 December, 2012

Senate body directs HEC
to avoid controversies
ISLAMABAD
sTaFF REPORT

S

usElEss? Workers repairing a broken clean water pipeline. INP

Cda’s water conservation
plan fails
ISLAMABAD
OnlinE

Capital Development Authority (CDA) had started a campaign for water conservation in the federal capital, but residents of G-sectors are still facing serious problems of water
shortage.
The CDA campaign for water conservation included imposition of fines for water wastage, creating awareness regarding water usage and effective monitoring of leakages in the
water supply.
Residents of G-sectors 6-7- and 8 are faced with serious
problems due to leakages in water supply lines. Residents
said that CDA members had paid no attention to the problem, as 40 to 50 percent of the water had flooded streets
that had not only led to a water shortage, but created problems in the streets as well.
Residents said that this indifference and lack of concern
would lead to a major water shortage.
CDA Spokesman Ramzan Sajid said that they were trying to
replace the leaky pipelines and ensure cleanliness. “We
have launched multiple campaigns in collaboration with
different NGOs and local schools to create awareness
among people regarding water conservation,” he said

ENATE Standing Committee
on Education
and
Training
Chairman Abdul
Nabi Bangash on Wednesday directed HEC not to
stir controversy because of
one person and said that
the issue should not be
politicised.
The meeting was held at
the Parliament House with
Senator Bangash in the
chair. The committee primarily focused its attention
on the issue of extensions
given to two MP scale officers of HEC.
The committee held a
discussion on the issue of
the former HEC ED Dr Sohail Naqvi’s termination.
Bangash said that the committee would fully support
HEC, but it should work
within its constitutional domain.
Senator Afrasiab Khattak said that the previous

HEC Ordinance was in contrast to the constitution and
until a new ordinance was
formed, it should follow the
constitution and orders
given by the prime minister.
He opined that HEC
must abide by the federal
cabinet’s decision taken on
June 27, 2011, which defined

the position of HEC. He said
that a new draft law for HEC
was pending and needed to
be accelerated.
Senator Najma Hameed
also said that the legal and
constitutional
position
should be adhered to.
The committee took notice of allegations made in

SNGPL to cut off PML-N
MNA’s supply for stealing gas
ISLAMABAD
OnlinE

Sui Northern Gas Limited (SNGL)
has decided to snap the gas connections of textile mills owned by Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz MNA
Asim Nazir in Faisalabad on charges
of stealing gas.
An SNGPL official said that Maqsood Textile Mills was owned by
Asim and his brother Shahid Nazir,
and the mill’s management had been
using gas from the commercial con-

nection of an adjoining bakery, as
commercial consumers were exempt
from gas load management like domestic consumers, said a media report.
The SNGL would also hold an inquiry into the matter.
On condition of anonymity, the
official said that the management of
Maqsood Textile Mills had been
stealing gas through a commercial
connection for the last three years
and Asim had used his political clout
to silence SNGPL.

denied them. Laghari said
that the HEC was not under
pressure from any parliamentarian regarding the attestation of fake degrees,
scholarship or any other illegal favour.
The federal minister informed the committee that
stories floating about HEC
and the removal of Dr Naqvi
seemed to be a joke as the
PM had stated that his extension was illegal.
He further informed the
committee that the concerned ministry would soon
advertise the post of executive director. The committee
chairman directed HEC to
advertise of the post of executive director.
The committee took
strong notice of the nonpayment of a 20 percent increase in salaries and
shortfall in the budget for
HEC. It recommended that
all financial problems faced
by universities, including
salary raise and funds for
research should be resolved
at the earliest.

CIED disposes of 329 cases
of missing persons
ISLAMABAD
sTaFF REPORT

The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances
(CIED) disposed off 329 cases of missing persons from January 1, 2011 to November 30 this year. According to a press release issued by the commission on Wednesday, a total of 913
cases of enforced disappearances had been lodged and after
disposing off 329 cases, the current number of cases under investigation was 584. CIED, comprising of former senior
Supreme Court judge Justice Javed Iqbal and Muhammad
Sharif Virk had been conducting proceedings in Islamabad,
Lahore, Karachi and Quetta. The commission had been conducting proceedings on a regular basis with the assistance of
law enforcing agencies to trace out the missing persons.

PiMS asked to improve services at oPd, emergency ward
ISLAMABAD
aPP

Citizens have urged the management
at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) to improve its service
delivery system at the Out-Patient
Department (OPD) and emergency
ward. Patients complained that they
were being attended by junior doctors
most of the time in OPD and the
emergency ward.
Muhammad Aslam, an attendant,
said, “At least one doctor should accompany junior doctors as they do
not have adequate experience to give
expert medical opinion to patients,
due to which they have to turn to private hospitals for treatment,”
Patients from far flung areas
complained that they were often
turned away and called in later for
check ups and surgeries. Sometimes
doctors on duty refused to even treat
them without a reason, they said.
Salim Imran, an attendant at the
Medical Ward said, “No senior doctor
was available to examine my

brother.” He suggested that there
should be frequent surprise visits
from the concerned ministry’s officials to monitor the situation and
check the attitude of doctors.
When contacted, an official at the
hospital said that over 4,000 patients
visited the hospital’s OPD daily for
treatment. He said that out of the
total number of incoming patients, 75
percent of them were following up on
check ups, while 25 percent new patients came to the OPD daily.
He said that unlike medical practices abroad, where one doctor examined five to seven patients daily, each
doctor at PIMS had to examine 200
patients. He said that a seven to
eight- member team of doctors performed duties in OPDs, including the
medical officer, professor, assistant
professor and post graduates. He
said that PIMS had been established
to provide special health services to
patients suffering from critical diseases however the hospital had become a major center for all patients
from various parts of the country.

CARELESSNESS: People protest against the carelessness of doctors at Benazir Bhutto Hospital that
allegedly resulted in the death of their relative. INP

Rawalpindi Cantonment Board has made
hepatitis A, B and C tests and vaccine injections compulsory for employees working in
bakeries, restaurants and other shops and
factories dealing in edibles.
According to sources, the Cantt Board decided to issue licences to shops and factory
owners who obtained a hepatitis negative
report from the Cantonment General Hospital. The board started sending notices to
owners of bakeries, restaurants, meat
shops, milk shops, grocery shops and shops
of other eatables in this regard.
Cantt Board Executive Officer Rana Manzoor Ahmed Khan took notice of the carelessness of concerned authorities and
shopkeepers regarding hygiene. As a result
the Food Department In-charge Ghulam
Rasul Satti made teams to inspect shops,
bakeries and restaurants.
Employees have been queuing outside the
Cantonment General Hospital to get hepatitis tests and vaccinations against the
disease.

ISLAMABAD
aPP

The sharp drop in temperature in the twin
cities has led to a hike in the sale of fish and
increase in the number of sale points in different areas. The demand for fish in the capital
has increased due to the decrease in temperature during the past few days. The sale of different kinds of fish including Rohu,
Mahasher, Thela fish, Salmon, Silver and
common Carp, has increased as people throng
to fish sale points all over the twin cities.
Market rates for a kilogramme of raw fish
vary according to the type of fish. Rohu is
being sold for Rs 250 per kg, Mahasher for
Rs 300, Silver for Rs 240 and Salmon for Rs
700. Fried fish points have also been set up
throughout the twin cities. Fried fish shops
on Melody Food Street in sector G-6, Aabpara Market and G-10 Markaz are among
those most frequented. A kilogramme of
fried Rohu fish is sold for Rs 500, Silver at
Rs 450, Salmon for Rs 1,500 and Mahasher
for Rs 650 in Islamabad.
Pakistan’s developing fishing industry has a
significant share in the national economy
and contributes to 1 percent of the Gross
National Product.

tax on foreign calls
abolished

Teachers’ casual leaves
banned again

ISLAMABAD
aPP

RAWALPINDI
sTaFF REPORT

Headmasters and headmistresses of
Rawalpindi district schools have banned casual leave for all male and female teachers.
After the imposition of the ban, a wave of
anxiety and unrest has spread among teachers. SES Teachers Association District President Chaudhry Yasin and other office
bearers said that they had been told about
the ban on the casual leave. They said that it
was a cruel step and the ban should be removed immediately, otherwise they would
stage protest demonstrations.
When contacted, the executive district officer said that he had not directed the imposition of the ban and the headmasters and
headmistresses had done that on their own.
He said that teachers could take leaves by
informing concerned authorities in advance.

‘Carrots make people
more attractive’

ISLAMABAD
OnlinE

People who eat fruits and vegetables like
carrots and plums are considered more attractive, say scientists.
Their research showed that men and
women whose skin had a yellow glow
were thought to be particularly attractive
and healthy, due to yellow pigments
called carotenoids found in certain fruits
and vegetables. The study’s co-author
Ian Stephen said that only two months of
increased consumption could produce
visible results. This could lead to new
strategies for encouraging young people
to eat more fruits and vegetables, he
said.

Thursday, 6 December, 2012

POinTlEss: a road barrier thrown into the rain drain speaks volumes about the importance of law and
order to the citizens. INP

S Ambassador to
Pakistan Richard
Olson on Wednesday underscored the
United
States’
strong commitment to wildlife
conservation in Pakistan in his
opening remarks at the Wildlife
Conservation Day co-hosted by
Quaid-i-Azam
University.
Around eighty students, activists,
and government officials watched
“Snow Leopard:
Beyond the
Myth,” a documentary filmed in
Pakistan by Nisar Malik. They
participated in a panel discussion

with wildlife experts to discuss
conservation,
human-animal
conflict, animal trafficking, and
solutions to problems faced by
wildlife.
Ambassador Olson said,
“Wildlife trafficking affects all of
us. Protecting wildlife means
protecting our planet’s natural
beauty for generations to come.
But wildlife trafficking is also a
national security issue, a public
health issue, and an economic
issue that is critical to countries
and communities worldwide.”
He announced two additional
sources of US funding for wildlife
conservation in Pakistan. A new
USAID funded programme with

the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
and the Snow Leopard Trust
would improve cooperation
among Bhutan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, and Pakistan
on
snow
leopard
conservation and climate change
adaptation in Asia’s high mountain landscapes. He said that the
Ambassador’s fund would focus
on wildlife conservation projects
in local communities.
United States and Pakistan
had a rich history of cooperation
on wildlife conservation, including the transfer of an abandoned
snow leopard cub from Pakistan
to the Bronx Zoo in New York in
2006.

Efforts of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis proved fruitful as the tax on foreign
calls was abolished on Wednesday. A tax
had been imposed on international calls a
few months ago and thousands of overseas
Pakistanis had been affected by the step.
Overseas Pakistanis Federal Minister Dr
Farooq Sattar had taken an interest to resolve the problem and had written a letter
to the president and prime minister in this
regard.
He had also met the prime minister and
raised the issue, saying that it was not fair
to impose taxes on overseas Pakistanis who
contributed $13 million to the economy
through remittances. The prime minister
took action and directed the concerned authorities to abolish the tax.

FIA arrests two
human traﬃckers
RAWALPINDI
aPP

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on
Wednesday arrested two persons including
a proclaimed offender involved in illegal
human trafficking and cheating unemployed youth. FIA’s Anti Human Trafficking Cell apprehended former Gurjat Police
Constable Faisal Nazar and his accomplice
Shahid Manzoor for their alleged involvement in human trafficking, official sources
told APP.
They said that the accused had been involved in looting innocent people and unemployed youth by offering them lucrative
job opportunities abroad.

Capital Development Authority has
decided to import a female elephant
a lion and an ostrich for the
Marghzar Zoo.
CDA Chairman Tahir Shahbaz
announced this decision while talking to media representatives during
a visit to the zoo as part of a drive to
conserve the environment.
He said that an up-gradation and
expansion of the zoo was needed to
add recreational facilities, to enter-

tain children and provide a conducive atmosphere to them.
The chairman said that Phase-I
of the expansion project had been
completed at a cost of
Rs 19.37 million, and work on
Phase-II would commence after
completing the tendering process.
He added that a tendering
process for the purchase of new cats
for zoo would be floated.
He said that additional enclosures
for the elephant and other animals had
been constructed, which would help provide better facilities in the zoo.

Shahbaz said that CDA’s Environment Wing had chalked out a
comprehensive programme for conservation of the environment and to
raise awareness on environmental
issues. The programme would be implemented in collaboration with
partner
organisations,
NGOs,
schools, colleges, civil society organisations and environmentalists.
He said that CDA would also
launch an anti-littering campaign in
the city as well.
Environment Member Kazim
Niaz apprised the chairman that the

Environment Wing had planned different activities in collaboration
with public and private schools and
NGOs to raise awareness for keeping
the city clean and protecting the natural assets of Islamabad.
The CDA has collaborated with
WWF to holding adventurous activities in Margallah Hills National
Park which included hiking and
training on vegetation management,
plantation, improvement of degraded areas, site areas, picnic spots
and other environmental conservation measures.

ESPITE observing Universal
Children’s Day for over half a
century, this year’s celebration
was especially memorable for
me as Pakistan recently held its
Universal Periodic Review at the Human
Rights Council in Geneva, according to a report by AlertNet.
During the UPR, the state of child rights in
Pakistan was highlighted and recommendations were made by several neighbouring
countries. The event was well attended by the
Pakistani government as the foreign minister,
Hina Rabbani Khar, led a high-level delegation to this event.
It seemed like a step in the right direction.
Should the Pakistani government accept and
effectively implement all of those recommendations, the state of child rights in the country
will improve significantly.
The meeting began with a moment to
celebrate the many victories over the past
four years. The recommendations accepted
by Pakistan in 2008 were reported to be
widely circulated and well received by Pakistan’s robust civil society, independent judiciary, free and active media in Pakistan
which is playing a key role in the protection
of human rights.
This has played a strong role in creating
positive changes in legislation, policy and
practice, including the ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political

Rights (ICCPR), Convention against Torture
(CAT), Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities and the Optional Protocol to
the Convention of the Rights of the Child on
the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and
Child Pornography.
But there is a long way to go before Pakistan can proudly say that it is a society that
respects the rights of all people and does
not discriminate based on race, gender and
religion.
In their recommendations, states present
at the meeting focused on a few key topics, including minority rights, ratification of the UN
Human Rights instruments, women and children’s rights, education for girls and support
for the establishment of the National Commission on Human Rights.
Specifically for children, they suggested
universal free primary education to all children, prevention programmes and policy on
sexual exploitation and abuse of children, rehabilitation of children recovered from militants or extremists, legislation to prohibit and
prevent the employment of children as domestic workers and adequate resources in implementing programmes to achieve the
Millennium Development Goals with priority
focus on vulnerable groups such as women
and children.
Some old and traditional practices in
Pakistan were also challenged. There were
recommendation to implement laws and
policies to eliminated early and forced marriage, in order to propel an end to rape, sex-

YOGA WiTH AMANDA

ual exploitation and forced conversions of
scheduled caste girls.
These recommendations were thoughtful
and achievable. It is time that the Pakistani
government respond to the recommendations, invest and take action. All the pending
bills including the Charter of Child Rights
Bill, the Criminal Laws Amendment (Child
Protection) Bill, National Commission on the
Rights of Children Bill, the Child Marriages
Restraint Amendment Bill and the Prohibition of Corporal Punishment Bill should be
passed with urgency.
Some argue that the problem lies with a
decentralised system in the Pakistani government, where child rights are a provincial
responsibility. The result could be devastating. Balochistan is the only province which
has not introduced any child rights specific
legislation since independence, which means
children are not afforded protection by law
and are not guaranteed essential services
such as education.
Instead of being passive about such situations, it is my opinion that the federal government should lead in the country’s vision,
putting pressure on provincial governments to
invest in children. For instance, provinces
such as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh have
passed child rights related laws but the implementation of these laws and budgetary allocation still hangs in the balance.
Our children have a right to be protected,
educated, fed and heard. It is about time we
give them just that.

This yoga course will creatively and mindfully
incorporate physical poses with the rhythm
of the breath. The course will teach you the
fundamentals of yoga, such as good
alignment, body mechanics, and breathwork.

DaTe anD TIme: 05:00 Pm, weeKLy eVenT
VEnuE: THe cenTre For arTS & cuLTure
our drumming circle is a (free!) ongoing
event and is held every Friday from 5pm
to 6pm. we are having a great time, and
want to share the good time with you!
our drumming circle has children ...

Thursday, 6 December, 2012

ISB 06-12-2012_Layout 1 12/6/2012 2:19 AM Page 8

08 News
thousands
celebrate thai
king’s birthday
BAnGkOk: In a rare public
appearance, Thailand’s king has called
for unity and stability in the divided
nation during a speech to mark his
85th birthday. Vast crowds of devoted
Thais turned out on Wednesday in
Bangkok for a brief glimpse of King
Bhumibol Adulyadej. Bhumibol sat on
a throne on a balcony overlooking a
plaza with a crowd that police
estimated at 200,000 as he delivered a
brief homily on national harmony.
Most in the crowd were dressed in the
royal colour of yellow, many waving
Thai flags and flags adorned with the
king’s insignia. The turnout was a
vivid demonstration of the affection in
which many hold for Bhumibol,
despite political turmoil in recent
years that has raised doubts about the
future of the monarchy. Bhumibol’s
family flanked him for part of his
appearance, including Crown Prince
Vajiralongkorn, his son and heirapparent. The king, who is seen as
almost a demi-god by many in the
politically turbulent nation, told the
crowd that the “goodwill” Thais had
shown by attending the ceremony
together “gives me the confidence that
your kindness is key to bringing unity
to the people and the nation”. Chants
of “Long live the king!” followed the
royal motorcade as it made its way to
and from the hospital where
Bhumibol’ has lived for three years
since suffering a respiratory illness in
2009. agEnciEs

Syrian civil war spills into Lebanon
as rebels close in on Damascus
TRIPOLI

G

agEnciEs

UNMEN loyal to opposite
sides in neighbouring
Syria’s civil war battled on
Wednesday in the streets of
a northern Lebanese city
where two days of fighting killed at least five
people and wounded 45, officials said.
The Lebanese army fanned out in the
city of Tripoli to calm the fighting, with soldiers patrolling the streets in armoured personnel carriers and manning checkpoints.
Authorities closed major roads because of
sniper fire. The fighting comes at a time of
deep uncertainty in Syria, with rebels closing in on President Bashar Assad’s seat of
power in Damascus.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on
Wednesday urged Syria’s regime against
using its stockpile of chemical weapons,
warning of “huge consequences” if Mr.
Assad resorts to such weapons of mass destruction. “I again urge in the strongest
possible terms that they must not consider
using this kind of deadly weapons of mass
destruction,” Mr. Ban told The Associated
Press, speaking on the sidelines of a climate
conference in Qatar. Syria has been careful
not to confirm that it has chemical
weapons, but the regime insists it would
never use them against the Syrian people.
Mr. Ban also suggested that he would
not favour an asylum deal for the Syrian
leader as a way to end the country’s civil war
and cautioned that the United Nations
doesn’t allow anyone “impunity.” Mr. Assad

has vowed to “live and die” in Syria, but as
the violence grinds on there is speculation
that he might seek asylum.
The Syria conflict has spilled over into
Turkey, Israel and Jordan over the past 20
months, but Lebanon is particularly vulnerable to getting sucked in. The countries
share a complex web of political and sectarian ties and rivalries that are easily enflamed. Lebanon, a country plagued by
decades of strife, has been on edge since the
uprising in Syria began, and deadly clashes
between pro- and anti-Assad Lebanese
groups have erupted on several occasions.
Tensions in Tripoli have been mounting since last week, when reports emerged
that some 17 Lebanese Sunni fighters were
killed inside Syria, apparently after they
joined the rebellion against Assad. The bod-

Nato approves
Patriot missiles
for turkey
ISTAnBUL: The NATO military
alliance has agreed to the deployment
of Patriot missiles as requested by
member Turkey to help defend its
border against possible threats from
Syria. “NATO has agreed to augment
Turkey’s air defence capabilities in
order to defend the population and
territory of Turkey and to contribute to
the de-escalation of the crisis along the
alliance’s border,” a statement
released on Tuesday said. The
statement, attributed to the foreign
ministers of the alliance, cited
“repeated violations of Turkey’s
territory” as the reason the deployment
had been approved. “We stand with
Turkey in the spirit of strong
solidarity,’’ Anders Fogh Rasmussen,
the NATO secretary-general, said in
Brussels. “To anyone who would want
to attack Turkey, we say, ‘Don’t even
think about it!’” The ministers said:
“We express our appreciation to the
Turkish people and authorities for
assisting Syrian citizens who found
refuge in Turkey. We call for an end to
violence in Syria, which represents a
serious threat to stability and security
in the region. “We fully support the
efforts of the international community
to find a peaceful solution.” agEnciEs

gaza sTRiP: Palestinian security guards pray at a football stadium, which witnesses said was destroyed in an israeli air strike. AgENCIES

Iraq denies entry to
Turkish minister
BAGHDAD
agEnciEs

A plane carrying Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz
to an energy conference in Iraqi Kurdistan has been
denied permission to land by the central government
in Baghdad.
A Turkish energy ministry official said the plane,
which was en route from Istanbul to the northern Iraqi
city of Arbil on Tuesday, was forced to land in Turkey’s
Kayseri, southeast of the capital Ankara. The plane would
not seek permission to land again and the minister would
now not attend the conference, the official said.
It was not immediately clear why the minister’s private aircraft had been denied permission and officials in
Baghdad were not immediately available for comment.
Ties between Ankara and Baghdad have been strained
for the past year since Shia Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri

al-Maliki ordered the arrest of Sunni Vice
President Tareq al-Hashemi, based on allegations that he ran death squads.
Turkey is now giving sanctuary to
Hashemi. Turkey accuses Maliki of
sowing sectarian discord by trying to
sideline his Sunni rivals while Maliki
says it is Ankara that is stirring sectarian tension. Both leaders have exchanged public insults and both
countries have summoned each
other’s top diplomats over the past
year in tit-for-tat manoeuvres.
Ankara has increasingly courted Iraqi
Kurds as its relations with
the Shia-led central
government in Baghdad have soured.

Mali rebels agree to respect ‘national unity’
BAMAKO
agEnciEs

The Malian government and two rebel
groups have agreed to respect the country’s “national unity”, after holding their
first talks to try and end a criss that has
seen the west African country effectively
split in two.
Delegations from the government,
the Islamist Ansar Dine and the Tuareg
Azawad National Liberation Movement
(known by its French acronym, MNLA)
agreed “on the respect for Mali’s national
unity and territorial integrity”, and “on
the rejection of any form of extremism
and terrorism” they said in a statement
after the talks in Burkina Faso.

Thursday, 6 December, 2012

ies of some of the men were later shown in
Syrian state TV.
On Wednesday, Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour was informed by Syrian Ambassador Ali Abdul Karim Ali that
Syria had agreed to repatriate the men’s
bodies. Lebanon’s National News Agency
said the countries would soon discuss how
to hand over the bodies. Anti-Syrian politicians in Lebanon have criticized the
Hezbollah-led government for what they
call a lack of effort to get the bodies back.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah supports Mr. Assad.
Lebanese security officials said at least
five people have been killed and 45
wounded in the Tripoli fighting since Tuesday. The officials spoke on condition of
anonymity because they are not authorized
to talk to the media.

Tuesday’s talks in Ouagadougou
were organised by Blaise Compaore, the
president of Burkina Faso and west
Africa’s top mediator for the crisis.
The rebel groups control much of the
north of the country, which they have
termed Azawad and earlier declared to be
independent of the national government.
The talks came as the African Union
and Chad issued renewed calls for the
United Nations to authorise military intervention to retake northern Mali.
The Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS) has said it is
ready to deploy 3,300 troops once it has
approval from the United Nations, which
is expected to decide sometime next
month. Alassane Outtara, the president

of the Ivory Coast, said on Tuesday that
armed intervention in Mali was “indispensable” and “[should be done] in the
shortest timeframe”.
“Political dialogue is certainly
needed but a military intervention seems
to me indispensable and [should be
done] in the shortest timeframe,” Ouattara said in Paris following talks with
French President Francois Hollande.
In Ouagadougou, Compaore separately met Ansar Dine and MNLA representatives on Tuesday, a day after sitting
down with the Bamako envoys.
Moussa Ag Assarid, a spokesperson
for the MNLA, told the AFP news agency
that the meeting “went very well”.
“No commitments were made, other

than to get together around the same negotiating table,” he said.
Tiebile Drame, a spokesperson for
the Malian government, said on Tuesday that authorities require the MNLA
“to solemnly and formally renounce
their aims of independence and self-determination”.
Two other rebel groups are also active in Mali’s north: al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the
Movement for Oneness and Jihad in
West Africa (MUJAO). A coup in March
plunged the once stable west African
democracy into turmoil, allowing a longrunning separatist movement in the
north to take advantage and secure huge
swathes of territory.

The Serbian ambassador to NATO has
died after jumping from a platform in an
airport car park in the Belgian capital
Brussels, media reports say. The Serbian
foreign ministry confirmed that Branislav
Milinkovic, 52, had died, but did not give
details. It paid tribute to his work. Media
reports said he jumped on Tuesday night
in the presence of Serbian officials who
had arrived in Brussels for diplomatic
talks. Serbia is not a member of the
alliance. The incident happened at around
18:00 (17:00 GMT). Emergency services
were called to the scene, but were not able
to revive Mr Milinkovic, sources at
Brussels airport said. Earlier on Tuesday,
Mr Milinkovic had seemed “completely
normal, talking to journalists in the
corridors of NATO,” a Serbian journalist in
Brussels told the AFP news agency. Nato
Secretary General Anders Fogh
Rasmussen said in a statement that he was
“deeply saddened” by the news.

Typhoon bopha
death toll rises
MANILA
agEnciEs

The death toll from a powerful storm
battering the southern Philippines has
risen to about 200, as rescue teams arrive
in affected areas. At least 156 people are
known to have died in Compostela Valley
province alone when Typhoon Bopha
struck eastern Mindanao, local officials
said. Rescuers have reached most areas,
but have had difficulty getting to some
isolated communities. Many were
evacuated ahead of the storm, now over
the western island of Palawan. The
typhoon is expected to move out into the
South China Sea on Thursday.

arab Spring nations
slip in corruption index
CAIRO
agEnciEs

Egypt has fallen in a global league table
of perceived official corruption in the
past year, and the Arab Spring
revolutions have yet to produce serious
anti-corruption action across the region,
Transparency International (TI) says. In
its annual Corruption Perceptions Index,
released on Wednesday, the Berlinbased group said Egypt had fallen six
places to 118th out of 176 countries as
levels of bribery, abuse of power and
secret dealings remain high in the Arab
world’s most populous nation. The
public-sector league table - on which the
higher the ranking, the cleaner a country
is - produced a mixed picture for nations
swept up in last year’s unrest.

ISB 06-12-2012_Layout 1 12/6/2012 2:19 AM Page 9

News 09
CNG associations
pay no heed to
people’s misery
kArAChI/LAhOrE/PEShAwAr:
CNG associations across the country
continued their unannounced strike
on Wednesday, adding to the miseries
of the motorists. CNG supply has
been closed in Lahore until
Wednesday as part of the
government’s load management plan.
For more than a week, compressed
natural gas was also unavailable in
the Potohar region and Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, despite CNG dealers’
assurance about ending their strike.
On Monday, All Pakistan CNG
Association Chairman Ghayas
Paracha had assured the National
Assembly’s Standing Committee on
Petroleum and Gas that sales would
be resumed across the country. In
Sindh, all CNG stations were closed
for the next 48 hours from Monday
night after an announcement by the
Sui Southern Gas Company. Motorists
all over the country continued to
suffer due to the deadlock between
the CNG associations and the
government. agEnciEs

landiKOTal: a security official stands next to the bottles of cheap liquor seized on Wednesday. INP

FTER two days of busy and
heated discussions, a meeting of former diplomats,
army and navy officers, and
peace activists concluded
with a framework to resolve the Sir
Creek dispute which, along with
Siachen and Kashmir, is one of the
three main territorial thorns hurting
India-Pakistan relations.
The “Aman Ki Asha” strategic seminar concluded with experts underlining
that despite the existing impasse even
after several bilateral meetings, the Sir
Creek issue was not intractable.
“The solution is complex because of
historical hostilities and linkages to
other more weighty issues,”‘ a statement
said, while pointing out that a successful
survey was carried out in 2007.
The proposals on which both sides
agreed included de-linking the maritime
boundary from that of land and delineation from seaward to a point where
both sides concur.
It was also proposed and agreed

upon that the non-delineated area be declared a free zone, or a maritime sensitive zone, or even wetland of
significance, or be turned into a jointly
administered maritime park.
“The non-delineated area (Sir Creek
and approaches) may also be designated
a ‘zone of disengagement’ straddling the
maritime boundary in which fishermen
from the two countries would be permitted (under licence) to fish without fear of
arrest and subsequent incarceration,”
some experts suggested.
The experts highlighted that as
long as shore points were mutually acceptable to both sides, the boundary
line delineated using the angular bisection method would undergo only minimal changes when the final baselines
were established.
The seminar also saw several proposals being offered to resolve the
Siachen issue. It was proposed that a
comprehensive resolution be worked
out and that the two sides should consider redeployment from the area despite territorial claims while retaining
the option of punitive action should the
other side renege on the commitments

Islamabad will not free senior Taliban leaders, including
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, unless all parties involved in
the Afghan war, including Washington, did not participate
in the Afghan reconciliation process, a senior Pakistan
official has said. Afghan media reports quoted a senior
Pakistani official as saying that Islamabad would not be able
to free senior Taliban leaders unless Washington’s stance in
Afghan peace talks did not become clear. The unnamed
Pakistani official said Islamabad would be held responsible
if Afghan peace talks failed despite the freedom of senior
Taliban leaders from Pakistani jails. However, the Afghan
High Peace Council emphasised that Washington and other
allied nations of the Afghan government supported the
Afghan peace process. That led to Pakistan freeing nine
Taliban members during a visit by Afghan High Peace
Council delegation last month. However, insiders say
Pakistan has set specific conditions, including Washington’s
stance on Afghan peace talks, in order to free Mullah Abdul
Ghani Baradar and other senior Taliban militants.

agreed upon.
One of the proposals suggested a
seven-point sequential formula for
Siachen. The formula called for the setting up of a joint civilian commission to
delineate the line beyond the point
where it remains unmarked, besides a
joint military commission to demarcate
and authenticate the actual ground position line (AGPL) on the ground and
maps. The determination of the places to
which redeployment will be effected
would be jointly agreed on, it said, while
adding that disengagement and demilitarisation would occur in accordance
with a mutually acceptable time frame.
The formula called on each side to
remove munitions and other military
equipment and waste from areas under
their control before withdrawal. It said
the ongoing cooperative monitoring of
all these activities and of the resulting
demilitarised zone would be agreed to
ensure/assure transparency.
The experts proposed a joint scientific centre in the area for environmental studies while stressing on the need
to resolve the issue bilaterally in line
with the Simla Agreement and the La-

hore Declaration without any change in
the area’s status.
Besides this, the experts called for
the establishment of a joint working
group to recommend detailed redeployment and oversee implementation of the
process with variability in process likely
due to changing weather conditions.
They also called for force disengagement during summer besides determination of place(s) to which
redeployment would be effected along
with the timeframe and mechanism for
joint management of the demilitarised
zone as recommended by the joint
working group.
The formula proposed the primary
monitoring and verification mechanisms
to be both bilateral and cooperative.
“The two essentials will be monitoring
and verification during disengagement
and thereafter for the demilitarised
zone to ensure no re-occupation of the
glacier.” The participants agreed that
an in-depth Kashmir conference be
held to discuss all socio-political,
economic aspects on the issue to arrive at major conclusions and practical recommendations.

No such thing
as marital rape:
indian court
nEw DELhI: A man charged with
raping his wife has been acquitted by
a Delhi court on the grounds that
having sexual relation with one’s
spouse, even forcibly, does not
amount to marital rape. District
Judge JR Aryan discharged Ahmed
Saeed, agreeing with the latter’s
counsel that the Indian Penal Code
(IPC) does not recognise any concept
of marital rape. “The defence counsel
rightly argued that the IPC does not
recognise any such concept. If the
complainant is a legally-wedded wife,
sexual intercourse with her husband
would not constitute to rape, even if
it is done against her wish,” the court
said. The woman had filed the case in
2007, alleging that after her first
husband’s death the accused became
very sympathetic and started visiting
her frequently, and ultimately asked
her to marry him. “Only after I had
married Saeed in February 2006, I
came to know that he just wanted to
grab my property, which he and his
four his sons later sold,” she said in
the court. The police said in its
charge sheet that Saeed had
maintained physical relations with
the complainant after their marriage
and it could be a possibility that
these relations were against her
wish. inP

Curiosity shortlisted for Time’s Person of the Year 2012
NEWS DESK
Despite actually being a carsized robotic rover with an
array of scientific instruments instead of internal organs and a radioisotope
thermoelectric
generator
rather than a heart, Nasa’s
creation has been deemed to
have met the “influenced the
news this year for better or
worse” criterion and visitors
to the site will now be able to
cast a vote in favour of the
Martian tourist.
Followers of the rover on
Twitter will be well aware
that, in addition to its capacity for scientific discovery
over the two years of the
mission, Curiosity’s team at
Nasa has also worked hard
to create a personality for

the vehicle.
Tweets include anecdotes from the mission, an
abundance of imagery — action shots, gifs and self-portraits — an attempt to check
in on FourSquare, and an exchange with Britney Spears
about the Oops!...I Did It
Again
video:
“@britneyspears Hey Brit Brit.
Mars is still looking good.
Maybe someday an astronaut will bring me a gift, too.
Drill bits crossed ;)” Curiosity joins other news-influencers on the shortlist
including Barack Obama,
Hillary Clinton, Psy, Tim
Cook, Marissa Mayer, Mo
Farah, Ai Wei Wei and Felix
Baumgartner. Its sole nonhuman companion is the
Higgs Boson particle.

ne has to be cautious while making generalisations.
Any conclusion drawn from the bye-polls held on
Tuesday about the elections to come would at best be a
matter of conjecture. The results nevertheless lead one
to an inescapable conclusion: the strategy devised by the PPP
and PML-Q was based on wishful thinking. It was simplistic to
assume that by combining their respective vote banks the two
allies would easily trump the PML-N.
The formula was based on two assumptions which the results
have made questionable. It was assumed that the popularity of
the PPP and the PML-Q in Punjab has either increased or
remains at the level of 2008. The results have shown that it has
in fact gone down, at least in the constituencies where the
elections were held. Another assumption was that most, if not
all, voters of both the parties would support their joint
candidates. This too has failed to happen. The polling results are
therefore likely to increase distrust between the PPP and PML-Q.
An outstanding example of the failure of the policy is NA-107
Gujrat-IV where their joint nominee lost the elections. In 2008,
he had polled 69,101 votes and the candidate belonging to PPP
14,948 votes. Their combined strength of over 84,000 votes was
considered enough to defeat the PML-N whose candidate had
then polled 75,202 votes. One constituency after another bears
witness to the miscalculation. While the PML-Q managed to win
a provincial assembly seat from Narowal, its defeat in Gujrat
would lead many to question the party’s claim that the district
remains its stronghold.
That the PPP failed to get even a single seat in bye-elections
in eight constituencies of Punjab would raise questions about its
standing in the province. A party candidate in Gujranwala who
polled 23,892 votes in 2008, could get only 16,492 this time. And
this was not the only case of the type. In Sahiwal, the PPP could
put up no candidate of its own and relied instead on a pro-PTI
independent who failed to win the seat.
The PML-N’s performance was also below that of 2008. The
party ruling Punjab lost two provincial seats that it had won last
time. A winner running as an independent, however, announced
joining the party soon after.
One had hoped that those losing the elections would
gracefully concede the defeat and draw the right conclusions for
the future. The elections were conducted by the first independent
EC. Barring minor incidents of violence and celebratory firing
here and there, the polling was by and large peaceful. To call it
“worst kind of rigging”, as PML-Q’s information secretary has
done, amounts to putting a gloss over the alliance’s own failures.

By Malik Muhammad Ashraf

I

n the wake of recent reports about
demolition of a Hindu temple in
Karachi and desecration of a graveyard in Lahore belonging to a minority community, Chairman PPP
Bilawal Zardari Bhutto in a statement has
urged the political parties, religious outfits
and organisations of the civil society to rise
up to save what he called Jinnah’s Pakistan.
Taking strong exception to these incidents,
he said if such occurrences continued unabated and unchecked it could threaten the
very existence of Pakistan. One can hardly
take issues with his observations which express a genuine concern over the state of affairs in regards to the treatment being meted
out to the minorities and the pummeling of
their rights as a consequence of the emergence of religious extremism and culture of
intolerance in the society, an off-shoot of the
snowballing fanaticism in contravention of
the vision of the Quaid, the commitment of
the architects of the Pakistan resolution and
the 1973 constitution.
The Pakistan Resolution adopted on 23
March, 1940, while indicating the areas that
would form the new state of Pakistan, also
emphasised equality in regards to the rights
of its citizens including the minorities in
these words: “Adequate, effective and
mandatory safeguards shall be specifically
provided in the constitution for minorities in
the units and in the regions for the protection
of their religious, cultural, economic, political, administrative and other rights of minorities with their consultation.”
The Quaid-i-Azam epitomised his vision
in a broadcast talk on Pakistan to the people
of United States in February 1948 in these
words: “The constitution of Pakistan has yet
to be framed. I do not know what the ultimate
shape of this constitution is going to be, but I
am sure that it will be of a democratic type
embodying the essential principles of Islam.
Islam and its idealism have taught us democracy. It has taught equality of men, justice
and fair play to everybody. In any case, Pakistan is not going to be a theocratic state, to
be ruled by priests with divine mission. We

have many non-Muslims, Hindus, Christians
and Parsis but they are all Pakistanis. They
will enjoy the same rights and privileges as
any other citizen and will play their rightful
part in the affairs of Pakistan.”
His slogan of “unity, faith and discipline”
is the pillar on which he wanted to erect the
edifice that he envisioned. He was intensely
aware of the fact that in a country with distinct cultural entities and regions, the only
way Pakistan could move on the path towards
its destiny successfully was an impregnable
unity among its people. He was conscious of
the fact that building a nation into a vibrant
and sustainable entity was much more arduous and thorny than the struggle to win freedom. As is evident from the foregoing, he
wanted to construct Pakistan as a progressive
democratic country, deriving strength and inspiration from the lofty Islamic principles of
brotherhood, equality and fraternity of man
that form basic points of our religion, culture
and civilisation.
Regrettably, Pakistan has become a
hostage to the self-proclaimed righteous
guardians of the religious tenets as interpreted by them against the spirit of Islam
which believes in building social harmony,
peace and protection of the minorities living
in an Islamic country. The culture of intolerance and persecution of the minorities
started with the anti-Ahmedi agitation in
1953 that triggered a wave of mass harassment and persecution of that community
which continues till today. Hindus also have
received a rough treatment. Temples have
been razed and reportedly forced conversions of Hindus to Islam in Sindh have been
a constant phenomenon. Recent reports
about migration of Hindus from Sindh to
India, creating quite a stir in the country
with the issue also resonating in the National Assembly, testifies to the maltreatment of that community at the hands of the
religious extremists and the people under
their influence.
The Christian community in the country
has also been a target of this culture of reli-

gious intolerance. Churches have been burnt
and the community as a whole treated as a
second rate citizens. The venom of the religious fanatics against Christians intensified
after the promulgation of a blasphemy law
during Zia regime which provided them with
a legal cover to advance their agendas and
wreak vengeance on minorities in the name
of religion.
From Shanti Nagar to Gojra the history
of Pakistan is full of the murders of minorities at the hands religious zealots. The case of
Asia Bibi, a mother of four which ignited a
controversy over the blasphemy law itself,
eventually culminated in the murder of
Salmaan Taseer. Similarly, the murder of
Shahbaz Bhatti, the minister for minority affairs, and incidents like the Rimsha case
(thanks heavens she has finally been acquitted of the charge) are a stigma on the face of
that land of the pure that we call Pakistan.
The Rimsha case fully exposed the ill-intentions of the perpetrators of these excesses on
the minorities.
The religious bigotry and intolerance has
done an incalculable harm to the national
unity, brought bad name to Islam and created
a diabolical image of Pakistan in the comity
of nations. It has nullified the article 20 of the
constitution and the spirit of tolerance that it
desired to generate. This curse cannot be
eliminated only through laws. There is an imperative need to inculcate culture of tolerance
in the society, tackling the burgeoning rise of
religious extremism and mobilising intellectual community to help in changing the perceptions about minorities.
The political and religious parties, as
rightly pointed out by Bilawal, need to share
bulk of the responsibility in changing the
mindset that promotes anti-minority sentiments within the society vitiating the vision
of the Quaid. It is a national cause and all the
stakeholders in the unity and survival of Pakistan as a sovereign state in conformity with
the vision of its founding father, must rise to
save its slide into a state of anarchy, and God
forbid, any harm to its integrity.

Inconsistent with the constitution
The limit on election expenses
By Ch Hasham Hayat Wathra

T

he constitution of 1973 is the
basic law governing the subsequent legislations, rules and regulations of the state of Pakistan. The
constitution of Pakistan not only deals
with the fundamental rights but also
provides protection to the rights of the
minorities. It is quite understandable
that the basic object in having a constitution would be to ensure the prosperity of the people to enable them to
attain their rightful and honoured place
among the other nations around the
globe. However, it would not be wrong
to remind our legislators that no law
should be in contradiction with the provision of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, which further
requires the principles of democracy,
freedom, equality, tolerance and social
justice as specifically articulated by our
religion (Islam).
There are certain legislations which
are in violation of certain provisions of
the constitution. As the general elections are expected in the near future,
the Election Commission of Pakistan is

Thursday, 6 December, 2012

working efficiently to ensure free and
fair elections. However, the question is
whether the elections would be fair if
they do not comply with the constitutional requirements, or by not providing the citizens of Pakistan an equal
opportunity to contest elections, and
where the elimination of all forms of exploitation and gradual fulfilment of
fundamental principles are not ensured. The answer is a big NO.
Every citizen should be at liberty to
contest elections, but regrettably due to
various inconsistencies between the existing laws and the constitution, this
cannot happen. For the purposes of
elections, the Representation of the
Peoples Act 1976 provides the procedure and requirements of elections to
the National Assembly and the provincial assemblies, it also guards against
corrupt and illegal practices and other
offences at or in connection with such
elections and other matters arising out
of or connected therewith. However,
section 49 of the Act of 1976 imposes
certain restrictions on the election expenses by debarring anyone other than
the candidate to incur any election expenses on behalf of the candidate and it
further imposes restriction on the max-

The maximum limit
has been grossly
bypassed by many
candidates who
spend huge amount
of money beyond the
limit. Furthermore,
the law has also
discriminated against
the patriot individuals
with leadership
skills but with
insufficient funds to
contest the elections.
imum amount of expenses during or before the elections.
Apparently, it seems that the law
was to ensure the contest of elections

without any show of wealth and dominance of wealthy candidates. But in reality, the maximum limit has been
grossly bypassed by many candidates
who spend huge amount of money beyond the limit. Furthermore, the law
has also discriminated against the patriot individuals with leadership skills
but with insufficient funds to contest
the elections. As most of the contesting
candidates have no leadership skills but
have funds in hand, they are in a better
shape to spend the funds and secure
their seats. The law has also discriminated in their favour, even if the spending is kept within limit, as it offers the
candidates with more financial backing
a better position over an individual having appropriate skills but insufficient
funds.
Contrary to the limitation imposed
under the Act of 1976, article 25 and 33
of the constitution deals with the fundamental rights of equality amongst the
citizens and non-discrimination, which
in any way should be ensured by the
state. Furthermore, article 62 of the
constitution provides qualification for
the membership of parliaments but it
does not address the limits on expenditures during or before the elections. It

is a common understanding that the
voter has to vote in appreciation of the
manifesto of the candidates and their
proposed contribution towards the welfare of the society. Therefore, it is my
opinion that the limit on the election
expenses should be reduced to a minimum level affordable by an ordinary individual.
The limitation imposed in section
49 of the Act of 1976 is contrary to the
fundamental rights assured to the citizen of Pakistan under the constitution,
and under article 8 of the constitution
such provisions which are contrary to
the fundamental rights are void. Therefore, it is suggested that the law imposing maximum limit to the election
expenditures should be reduced to minimum to bring it in line with the provisions of the constitution.
If the elections are conducted under
the current law, then the entire exercise
would be inconsistent with the provisions of the constitution. If the elections are held under the existing law,
the elections would be in violation of
article 270-B of the Constitution of Pakistan.
The writer is a practising lawyer.

ISB 06-12-2012_Layout 1 12/6/2012 2:20 AM Page 11

Comment 11

The winds of change

Editor’s mail

if there ever were any
By Saleem A Sethi

D

emands for a change in Pakistan’s internal and external
policies, particularly its
handling of extremism, terrorism
and Afghanistan issues, have long
been made. But these were apparently ignored and no shift was seen
at any level for a long time. However, positive signals have been felt
during the recent days and weeks.
The optimism started with the August 13 speech of Chief of Army
Staff at PMA, Kakul. But many didn’t believe that he was speaking
from his heart when he said that
war against the terrorists was ‘our
own’ and therefore ‘just’. Hence
there were not many takers.
Then the issue of an operation
in North Waziristan Agency started
taking twists. First, indications
started coming in that a full fledged
military onslaught against groups
entrenched in NWA was on the
cards. The cowardly attack on
Malala gave rise to expectations
that the time had come for the Taliban to be on the run. But there was
conspiracy theories’ galore in the
country and many quarters alleged
that the Malala’s incident was being
used to prepare ground for an action in tribal areas.
Gen Kayani came hard on terrorists once again when he visited
her at CMH Peshawar on October 9,
2012. Strongly condemning the act,
Kayani said, “The cowards who attacked Malala and her fellow students have time and again shown
how little regard they have for
human life and how low they can
stoop to impose their twisted ideology.” Kayani said that Malala had
become a symbol for the values that
the army, with the nation behind it,
was fighting for [in order] to preserve future generations. “We wish
to bring home a simple message:
We refuse to bow before terror. We
will fight, regardless of the cost. We
will prevail,” he said.
It was now considered to be
time
for
the
political
leadership/civilian government to
come forward and take ownership
of any action that the military
might initiate against terrorists.
President Asif Ali Zardari waited
for an appropriate occasion to do it.

And he did it at the Economic Cooperation Organisation’s summit in
Azerbaijan’s capital Baku on October 15, 2012. Terming attempt on
Malala’s life as an attack on all Pakistani girls and the civilisation itself, he reaffirmed his country’s
commitment that the fight against
terrorists would continue till the
last man standing.
Then Marc Grossman, the former US Special Representative,
came to Pakistan on 20 October.
But contrary to expectations that he
would discuss the nitty-gritty of
North Waziristan operation, a statement was issued on his behalf saying that US, Afghanistan and
Pakistan were working on new
strategies to bring peace in the region. A deafening silence ensued
and North Waziristan went on the
back burner. As observers were yet
guessing as to what the new strategies could be that Grossman hinted
at, Salahuddin Rabbani, President
of the Afghan High Peace Council
visited Islamabad in mid-November. The visit resulted in yet another
unexpected development; Pakistan
decided to release some of the
Afghan Taliban held for a long time
by the authorities concerned. This
was a clear shift in the country’s undeclared stance regarding those figures whose release Kabul was
demanding since long. It gave the
signal that Pakistan was now genuinely interested to see the peace
process in Afghanistan succeed, or
at least give it a chance to take off.
In the meanwhile, another miracle happened. On November 5, the
Inter Services Public Relations
(ISPR) issued a statement of the
Chief of Army Staff. Though it had
been issued in a purely different domestic perspective, the statement
contained some words which were
all-encompassing. Gen Kayani said,
“We are critically looking at the
mistakes made in the past and [are]
trying to set the course for a better
future.” Though the statement was
largely criticised in the media for its
conceived infringement into other
institutions’ jurisdiction, optimists
looked at the positive aspects of it
and related it to the overall internal
and external situation, including
army’s domineering role in deciding national security paradigm.
Latest developments in the se-

ries are 1) the statement of Foreign
Minister Hina Rabbani Khar about
Pak-US relations and 2) the federal
cabinet’s approval of National
Counter
Terrorism
Authority
(NACTA) Bill, 2012.
Reports from Brussels about the
engagements of foreign minister
and COAS with the US, NATO and
European Union are also encouraging. The first message from the
composition of Pakistani delegation
is that both the civilian and military
leaderships are on the same page
now as far as resolving the Afghan
issue or relationship with the US
and allied countries are concerned.
The renewal of strategic partnership offer to Pakistan by the EU and
the statement of American official
that both the countries were now on
the ‘same page’ regarding reconciliation process in Afghanistan, are
important developments. Side by
side, the announcement of the release of $600 million from the
Coalition Support Fund (CFS) by
the visiting US delegation in Islamabad on Dec 4 is also a signal of improvement of tie between the two
countries and a change in Pakistan’s foreign policy objectives.
The approval of the NACTA Bill
2012 by the cabinet coincided with
the statement of foreign minister.
The bill is aimed at creating a more
powerful anti-terror body with an
expanded, sweeping mandate to
deal with all things terrorism related which will act as a coordination and information sharing
platform between different intelligence agencies, military and civilian, as well as law enforcement
agencies.
To many of the optimists, these
developments indicate that some
real changes are in the offing and
we may see shifts in the country’s
external and internal policies. To
begin with, some positive changes
are needed in the face of failures
brought in by policies pursued so
far. They have resulted in erosion of
Pakistan’s clout in Afghanistan
while failing in achieving its long
term objectives there. They have
also isolated the country internationally, rather made it an international pariah thereby bringing it
economically on the verge of bankruptcy. And last, but not the least,
our previous policies with regard to

Afghanistan and terrorism have
brought more internal social, political and religious chaos than
achieving external security.
A responsible transition and
long term peace in Afghanistan is
more in the interest of Pakistan
than any other country. And signs
of change in its policy with regard
to that is a good omen for our future. Improvement in relationship
with USA and ending its international isolation will also bode well
for rebuilding its international
image. This will definitely bring
economic pitfalls in its wake which
will be helpful in improving living
conditions in the country. The
NACTA is the best development
among all. First and foremost, it
will bring the civilian and military
setups at the same page, with input
from both the sides. This can help
laying out a national security and
counter-terrorism policy which will
not only be transparent but also
enjoy consensus of the nation. Secondly, it envisages introducing
changes into domains that are internally promoting extremist mindset which, in turn, fuel terrorism.
There is every possibility that
the people will support any meaningful change that will bring peace
and prosperity to them. This will
also steer the country away from
the existentionalist threat it has
been faced with in the form of religious, sectarian and terrorist quarters. After all, what good the
existing pro-right and religious
policies have brought to the state
and its armed forces? Munawar
Hasan has already said that ‘the
issue of jihad’ against Pakistan
Army can be considered if it continued with its ‘pro-US’ policies regarding Afghanistan. So, do we
want to continue those policies
which have so far satisfied none
and which have only brought miseries and destruction to the nation?
Their further continuation will
mean that the mullah of every hue
will be declaring jihad against the
state and its army, with the flag of
religion in their hands and the
whole nation following them to annihilate those who they consider
friends of anti-Islam forces.
The writer can be reached at
sethisaleem1@gmail.com

effect of social roles
A true character of a person can be known when he or
she is given power. The way a person makes use of the
powers becomes a detrimental factor in getting to know
the personality. However as mostly is the case in our
country the person gets lost in the aura of the power that
he or she has been given and acts in ways which are
against the social norms. We see examples of this all
through the day, be it at home, school, office or on roads.
At home people are seen abusing the servants, draining
them of every inch of blood in their body by making them
do unnecessarily (hard) work. At office the boss makes his
subordinates do the house chores, making him or her to
pick the children from school. On roads we see the policemen stopping the motorcycles, rickshaws, trucks and
buses for no reasons at times and letting them go after
shaking the hand full of money. Much to my surprise the
abuse of power has also crept in to schools, colleges and
university and teachers have become the abusers of it. We
see on daily routines teachers favouring people belonging
to specific religious sects, race or ethnic backgrounds and
awarding them more marks at their free will. A psychological study conducted by Zibardo points out the effects
of social roles on a person’s behaviour. The experiment
reported a difference in the behaviour of normal men
when given different roles. The people chosen as guards
resorted to verbal and physical aggression on the people
playing the role of prisoners, even though they were not
allowed to that. A similar event took place at a university
which happens to be the best institute for Business Administration in Pakistan. A teaching assistant is an individual who assists a teacher or professor with
instructional responsibilities. The concept of having
Teacher’s Assistants is to provide ease to the teacher, help
the students as much as they can, prepare quizzes and
check them according to the answer sheet provided by the
teacher. For this the TAs are paid so it becomes sort of an
on campus job for the students. A couple of Teacher’s Assistants forced the class students to wear specific colours
and participate in the activity they were having. Each year
a company conducts a talent hunt whereby the students
have to form a group of four and suggest and to certain
extent implement a marketing strategy for the company’s
product. The TAs as they are called allotted extra marks to
the participants of their activity which is a perfect example of abuse of power. I would urge the educationalist to
witness such abuse of power being carried by the students. It is this age that defines the personality of a person
and if they are let free of abusing the powers they may become the leaders that we have. For universities who prepare leaders of tomorrow such activities must ring a bell
in the administration section and the abuse of power be
stopped. The roles of TAs must be restricted and teachers
and TAs made to follow the rules.
AFFAN H KHAN
Karachi

Thursday, 6 December, 2012

ISB 06-12-2012_Layout 1 12/6/2012 2:24 AM Page 12

12

aniston
J

hosts Christmas
tree-trimming party

NEWS DESK

talaash based on ‘real
life incident’ or a ‘book’?

T

he co-writer of the Bollywood suspense
thriller “Talaash”, Zoya Akhtar, has surprised
everyone by reportedly admitting that the film
was based on a real life incident. According to Indian
media, Talaash was based on an incident that
happened with Akhtar years ago returning from a
Mumbai party spot, near the “haji Ali” Dargah along
with six companions. Zoya discussed what she
experienced with the director of “Talaash”, Reema
Kagti, and the story became the first point of the
script that they both wrote together, reported the
however, another source stated that Talaash was
heavily inspired by a book called “The Fallen” by T.
Jefferson Parker. The film has opened with rave
reviews and public response earning Rs.471m in the
first three days. nEWs dEsK

ENNIFER Aniston’s annual Christmas tree-trimming party on Sunday night was a veritable who’s
who in Hollywood. A-list friends Demi Moore, Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi, Ben Stiller, and
Tobey Maguire all dressed up in their finest holiday attire for the bash at the rented Beverly Hills
home the actress lives in with her fiancé Justin Theroux — but the fun wasn’t just for the
adults. “The party was for both adults and children,” a source tells People. “Jen loves having
children around and she always has fun activities planned for them. While the adults
mingled, the younger guests were able to color and play games … Jen always puts a lot of
effort into planning her holiday party.” And it wasn’t just famous people at the soiree.
Many of Aniston’s employees also were in attendance because it’s also “a thank you
party,” adds the source. “And she always gives them thoughtful gifts. Jen always asks
her celebrity friends for charity donations instead of personal gifts.” The biggest star
of the party though was the 10-foot noble fir the 43-year-old painstakingly selected
at Mr. Greentrees in Beverly Hills — with a little help from her man. “She seemed
very excited and happy about the tree,” the source revealed about Aniston, who is
spending her second Christmas with Theroux. “[Justin] was very sweet to her
and let her take her time to find the perfect tree. She found a beautiful one that
she had delivered.”It was originally reported that Aniston’s bash was to
celebrate her August engagement to Theroux, 41. Although that wasn’t the
case, she’s certainly counting him as one of her many blessings in 2012!
The twosome, who have yet to set a wedding date, “are doing really
well together,” reveals the source. “Jen always seems so
happy. Justin takes great care of her.”

Naseeruddin Shah
speaks on Faiz
NEWS DESK

lindsay lohan in trouble
again, refuses to join rehab

T

RouBleD hollywood actress, lindsay
lohan has refused to check into rehab and
stabilize her alcoholic addiction. lohan rose
to fame as a child starring in the hugely popular
“The Parent Trap” and had been on a smooth ride to
hollywood achieving viewers and critics’ positive
votes. Though like many teenage celebrities who
have succumbed to the pressures of the hollywood
lifestyle, lohan, too became a victim. She is now
battling charges against an altercation with a
female at a New York club. lohan was released on
bail though she is expected to head back to courts
on January 7 where she will have to face formal
charges. Sources cite the “liz and Dick” star where
lohan played elizebeth Taylor is stressed by her
court trails and not happy on receiving any decent
reviews on her latest portrayal. Moreover, lohan
claims that she has shot three movies which is
proof of not being involved in any addictions, and
does not need to go into rehab. nEWs dEsK

Veteran Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah says
he first came to know about legendary poet Faiz
Ahmed Faiz when he was in class nine. “I was
introduced to Faiz through film Janwar in which
my most favourite actor Shami
Kapoor sang Faiz’s verses:
Raat Yun Dil Mein Teri
Khoie Huwi Yaad Ai (Last
night, your long-lost
memory came back to
me),” he said at the Durab
Patel Auditorium of the
Human Rights
Commission of Pakistan
(HRCP) on Tuesday. Adeel
Hashmi, actor and grandson
of Faiz, moderated the
dialogue where Mr Shah
spoke on a variety of
issues raised by the
audience. To a
question that
would he ever
act Faiz in some
play, Mr Shah
said he would
do it though
the role would
have some
limitations.
He said that
Ghalib’s role
was easy to
do as his
photograph,
physical
description

and how he talked were not available. In the case
of Faiz, there were limitations because enough
photographs and video record of Faiz was there.
To another question how he imitated Ghalib in
the play Mirza Ghalib, he said that he had done
enough research on Ghalib’s personality and had
seen a few of his portraits. He visited the
neighbourhood Bilimaran where Ghalib lived for
years and found Ghalib’s house in a bad shape.
He added Ghalib’s personality could not be
understood as “it will take me seven lifetimes to
understand the poet”. He said he started off
from serious cinema and then moved to popular
cinema as he wanted to be a popular actor. If
someone says he doesn’t want to be a popular
actor is lying, he said. He said directing a film
was a very hard task. “And making a bad film is
even harder,” he said in a light vein. But to
him theatre direction was where he felt at
home. Mr Shah, who is in Lahore
to act in plays based on
stories by Ismat Chugtai,
said the masterpieces of
classic writers such as
Chugtai could not be
put in films as a great
literature had its
descriptive beauty.
When asked what
inspired him to
present Ismat
Chugtai’s work
on theatre, he
said that he
met her in
1979 during
the shooting of
film Janoon.

Julius Caesar: Critics hail all-female production
Phyllida Lloyd’s production at London’s Donmar
Warehouse sees Shakespeare’s political
conspiracy drama performed by the female
inmates. Performed on an austere metallic set,
the play-within-a-play features CCTV and heavy
metal guitars. The cast includes Frances Barber
as Caesar, Harriet Walter as Brutus and Jenny
Jules as Cassius. The production marks Lloyd’s
return to the stage after directing the film The
Iron Lady, which starred Meryl Streep as
Margaret Thatcher. The all-female production
follows closely after and all-male version of both
Twelfth Night and Richard III, recently
transferred to the West End from Shakespeare’s
Globe. Michael Billington in The Guardian
described Lloyd’s Julius Caesar as “witty,
liberating and inventive” and said it tapped into
the anti-authoritarian instinct that runs through

Thursday, 6 December, 2012

the play. “It is one thing to have an ingenious
concept, another to carry it out. And Lloyd’s
production proves that female actors can bring a
fresh perspective to traditionally male roles,” he
said. “It’s not just the casting that makes it feel
daring,” said Henry Hitchings in the Evening
Standard. “There’s also a crazed, percussive
intensity, and the production abounds with
weirdness, thuggery and horror.” He added:
“Frances Barber is a viciously bullying Caesar,
an arbitrary tyrant who in her beret and leather
trenchcoat looks like someone you might find in
a spy film loitering seedily in a railway arch.
Harriet Walter’s austere Brutus is a
performance of riveting intricacy.” Alexandra
Coghlan, writing for The Arts Desk, said that
Lloyd’s cast “certainly give the lie to any
weakly girlish image of the female”. nEWs dEsK

Felt amazing after
visiting Siddhivinayak,
says Paris Hilton
Experiencing spirituality at the famed
Siddhivinayak temple here was “amazing” for
international socialite Paris Hilton, who was
here on a brief trip. After spending time with
children at an orphanage, Paris visited the
temple. “Went to the Siddhivinayak temple for a
blessing. Amazing to be in such a spiritual and
special place. Blessed,” she tweeted. The 31year-old was here to spin the disc at the recently
concluded India Resort Fashion Week held in
Goa and also walked the ramp for designer duo
Shane and Falguni Peacock. She had a stopover
in Mumbai. Hilton, who was on her second visit
to India, went to an orphanage named Ashray in
suburban Bandra and spent some quality time
with the children there. She even grooved to
popular song “Chammak challo” with them, and
distributed presents. Her
first visit to the
country was in
2011, when she
came to launch
her range of
handbags and
accessories
for the
Indian
market.
nEWs dEsK

ISB 06-12-2012_Layout 1 12/6/2012 2:26 AM Page 13

13

eddie
Murphy
the most overpaid actor in Hollywood
P

NEWS DESK

OOR Eddie Murphy desperately needs a
comeback. Remember back in the day when
he was so funny on “Saturday Night Live”
and in movies like “Trading
Places” and “Beverly Hills
Cop”? His voice work has helped
make movies like “Shrek” and
“Mulan” tolerable for adults, and
even his family-friendly movies,
like “Norbit” and “Dr. Dolittle,”
were good for some chuckles. But
lately, Murphy’s career has just
collapsed. “Imagine That,” “A
Thousand Words” and “Meet Dave”
were colossal flops. Last year’s “Tower
Heist,” which was supposed to be
something of a return to form for
the comedian, failed to wow at
the box office, earning
$153 million on an
estimated budget of
$75 million. (In order
to even come close to
turning a profit, a
movie has to earn
twice its production
budget in ticket sales,
plus the millions spent
on marketing.) Murphy
then backed out of
hosting the Oscars,
which didn’t help his
reputation.
His string of flops
lands Murphy at the
top of our Most
Overpaid Actors list
for 2012. We estimate
that for every $1
Murphy was paid for
his last three films, they
returned an average of
$2.30 at the box office.
To compile our list, we
used data on actors’
earnings gathered for
our Celebrity 100 list.
Box office grosses and
budget estimates are
from Box Office Mojo. We
looked at the last three films

travolta’s
desire to
honour late
son sparked
album
NEWS DESK
John Travolta has revealed that he
collaborated with Olivia Newton-John to
record a new festive album to try to ease
some of the devastation he felt
about the loss of his son Jett who died in January 2009,
aged only 16 - at Christmas.
The 58-year-old actor said
that Christmas was
never an easy time of
year for his family
since then. “Doing
something for him
makes it easier,
because you’re
doing something,
you’re proactive,
you’re raising money
for the foundation that
represents him,” the
Sydney morning Herald
quoted him as saying. The
‘Grease’ star said guest
artists including Barbra
Streisand, Tony Bennett
and James Taylor were
happy to get involved,
knowing proceeds of the
album were going to the

each actor starred in over the last three years that
opened in more than 2,000 theaters, calculating the
return on investment for the studios who pay his (or
her) salary.
Ranking second behind Murphy is a newcomer to our
list: Katherine Heigl. For every dollar she was paid on
her last three movies, they earned an average of $3.40.
After hits like “Knocked-Up,” “27 Dresses” and “The
Ugly Truth,” Heigl’s quote shot up to the $12 million
range. Unfortunately, the films she’s made at that price
point have failed to deliver. Her most recent film, “One
For The Money,” earned only $37 million on an
estimated $40 million budget. Heigl needs to step
away from the expensive star vehicles and rebuild her
career. Her next release is the ensemble pic “The Big
Wedding,” which hits theaters in April. Featuring
Robert DeNiro, Susan Sarandon and Amanda
Seyfried, the movie could give Heigl a chance
to show how funny she can be when the
pressure is off. In past versions of
our overpaid actors roundup, we
looked at each actor’s films
over the last five years. This
year, we cut back to the
last three years to give
the list a more
contemporary focus.
That
dropped Drew
Barrymore from
the top 10, but
not because
she has
anchored any
smashes lately.
Barrymore was
our worstperforming
actor last year —
her films earned
only 40 cents for
each $1 she was
paid. However
she hasn’t starred
in three big
releases over the
last three years. We
don’t count ensemble
films where there is no
clear star like
Barrymore’s 2009 film “He’s
Just Not That Into You,”
which was actually a hit.

Jett Travolta Foundation and the Olivia
Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre
in Melbourne. “It felt effortless. And
everybody hopped on board effortlessly,
we called Barbra and Tony and James and
they all knew my son, so they just wanted
to do this from their heart,” he said. He
also said that he was inspired by Paul
Newman in relation to raising money
under Jett’s name. “Paul Newman did it
through food, the Scott Newman
foundation was to raise money for his
son’s foundation,” he said. “People find
different ways . . . I’m most comfortable
doing it this way because
I love to sing and I
don’t get a chance to
do it a lot. “To join
Olivia again,
where we’ve
succeeded at
this level, to do
that is a beautiful
opportunity. I
can’t believe it,” he
added.

PeSHawar: a student walks on the ramp during the second annual fashion show ‘Fashion First’ at Iqra university. iNP

Playing Diana was the hardest
thing I’ve done: Naomi Watts
NEWS DESK
Naomi Watts, who plays tragic Princess Diana in her new flick, has admitted the difficulties of re-creating one of last century’s most iconic figures. “Playing Princess Diana was the hardest thing I’ve done,” the Daily
Mail quoted her as telling Manhattan magazine. “Because of the pressure of everyone’s beliefs about who she was and the fact that it was just
really hard to claim her as my own, since everybody feels they know
her,” she said. The 44-year-old British-born actress said that she wanted
to channel the late royal, rather than mimic her. “I don’t want to get
caught up in mimicry - that’s the worst thing,” she said. “I was to try to
embody her and get the essence of her. Those things are really important to me,” she added. The film, out next year, follows Diana’s love affair with Pakistheart surgeon Dr Hasnat Khan, played by Lost star
Naveen Andrews.

‘the aMaZiNG SPider-MaN 2’
includes another love interest, best friend in sequel
NEWS DESK
After spelling its magic on screen the
“The Amazing Spider-Man” director
Marc Webb has started shooting its sequel “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”. According to reports, this time the love
interest of Peter Parker, Mary Jane, will
be played by Shailene Woodley who wasn’t included in the first film of the series.
The director recently announced via a
tweet that Harry Osborne’s role (best
friend of Parker) is being played by Dane
DeHaan (Chronicles), which is also the
new entrant in the upcoming sequel. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, the real
life couple, will again reprise their roles
as Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy, respectively. However, Jamie Foxx will be seen

as Electro, an enemy whose reach knows
no boundaries. According to Marvel
Comics, Gwen was originally the first
true love of Peter Parker before he developed deep feelings for Mary Jane Watson. The Green Goblin causes
Spiderman to accidentally kill Gwen in

the comic. Both the decision to kill Gwen
and the method in which Marvel implemented it, remain controversial among
fans and after the death of Gwen, apparently, Peter falls in love with Mary Jane.
The Amazing Spider Man 2 is scheduled
to be released on May 2, 2014.

Thursday, 6 December, 2012

ISB 06-12-2012_Layout 1 12/6/2012 2:26 AM Page 14

Infotainment 14
African lion population
shrinks to 32,000

T

HE savannah habitat
that
¬sustains
African lions has
shrunk by 75 percent
over the past ¬halfcentury, according
to a study published Tuesday in the
journal Biodiversity and Conservation, a dramatic loss that could
threaten the species’ survival.
The new analysis by American,
African and British researchers —
which suggests the continent’s lion
population has declined from
100,000 to roughly 32,000 over 50
years — provides a clear picture of
where the animals now live and how
major land-use changes and population growth have put them in jeopardy.
“It’s a shock,” said Duke University professor for conservation ecol-

ogy Stuart Pimm, one of the paper’s
co-authors. “Savannah ¬Africa has
been massively reduced. . . . As [people] moved in, lions have been
hunted out.”
The findings come just one week
after theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it will study whether
African lions should be listed under
the Endangered Species Act, a move
that would end the importation of
trophies into the United States. Several groups petitioned the agency
last year to list the species, though
some conservationists ¬argue trophy hunting provides a source of
revenue to local communities, which
helps keep savannah habitat intact.
Thomas E. Lovejoy, University
Professor in Science and Public Policy at George Mason University, said
the paper’s authors “have made a

naSa plans new
mars rover for 2020
NASA officials plan to build a new rover that would
follow Curiosity on the surface of Mars. The announcement electrified many of the roughly 18,000
researchers attending the American Geophysical
Union's fall meeting this week in San Francisco.
The objectives are not yet set, nor are the tools the
rover would wield, said John Grunsfeld, head of
NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
But Grunsfeld's remarks Tuesday raised the hopes
of planetary scientists that NASA would be focusing
its efforts on the complex and costly task of retrieving a piece of Mars.
"Collecting a cache of samples is difficult -- it requires a very capable vehicle," said Steve Squyres,
lead scientist for the Mars exploration rover mission, which put Opportunity on the planet in 2004.
"The vehicle that John Grunsfeld just described for
launch in 2020 is fully capable of doing that job."
Before Curiosity landed on Mars this summer,
NASA was unsure of its future direction in exploring the solar system. Big-budget missions to Mars
seemed politically unpalatable after Curiosity's
$2.5-billion price tag, and no other major missions
had been scheduled, even as the next launch window in 2018 approached. But the rover's dramatic
landing and early scientific exploits have rejuvenated enthusiasm for Martian exploration.
That has given a boost to NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, home of the Mars exploration program
and the expected lead on the new rover program.
The new rover, estimated to cost $1.5 billion, promises to provide a "shot in the arm" for the local economy, said Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), whose
district includes JPL in La Cañada Flintridge. Mars
missions make up a significant share of JPL's projects. Over the last decade, Curiosity alone employed
about 3,000 staffers and brought in 4,000 others
from outside the lab. nEWs dEsK

historical contribution” by showing
how dramatically Africa’s viable terrain for lions has declined in recent
decades. Lions used to roam much of
Africa and Eurasia but are now limited to sub-Saharan Africa. A small
population of a separate species inhabits the Gir Forest National Park
of India.
Lovejoy said the fact that savannah habitat loss is outpacing the decline of the world’s tropical rain
forests “is terrifying when combined
with the prospects of population
growth and land-use change in
Africa.”
To reach their assessment, the
paper’s lead author, Jason Riggio,
who received his master’s degree
from Duke, assembled a team of
graduate students to examine highresolution satellite imagery of Africa

from Google Earth to determine
what could qualify as suitable lion
habitat. They then compared that information with existing lion population data, concluding that there are
only 67 isolated areas in Africa
where lions might survive.
Part of the challenge lions face is
that when they venture outside national parks, they may kill livestock
and come into conflict with humans,
Pimm said. Lovejoy said he was optimistic that sufficient public pressure will build for U.S. officials to
take action. The officials will decide
within a year whether to list African
lions as endangered.
“This is something the public can
easily get,” he said, adding that lions
are the kind of “animal cracker animals” everyone has revered since
childhood. The study does not, however, answer one of the central questions federal officials must answer:
whether trophy hunting helps or undermines the species’ ultimate survival.
Jeff Flocken, Washington office
director of the International Fund
for Animal Welfare, said Americans
are responsible for importing 64
percent of the lions hunted for sport
in Africa, and that the practice destabilizes prides.
But hunting groups such as Safari Club International, and some
environmental organizations, say a
trophy ban could have unintended
consequences.
Luke Hunter, president of the
wild cat conservation group Panthera, said even though he finds lion
hunting “ridiculous and abhorrent,
as a scientist I have to ask myself
whether it can be a tool for conservation.”
While current studies suggest
African lion hunting “is unsustainable,” Hunter added, ending it could
accelerate the large-scale land conservation that poses the greatest
threat to lions. “The danger is you
stop that revenue stream, all those
areas are up for grabs.” nEWs dEsK

Scientists discover
oldest dinosaur yet

A

N arm bone and a handful of vertebrae have
yielded a surprising truth: The age of the
dinosaur began earlier than anyone ever
suspected. A new bone analysis of fossils collected in
Tanzania in the 1930s reveal that Nyasasaurus
parringtoni -- a creature the size of a Labrador
retriever with a five-foot-long tail -- may be the earliest
dinosaur on Earth, plodding across the planet some
243 million years ago. The findings mean that the
dinosaur lineage appeared 10 million to 15 million
years earlier than fossils previously showed,
originating in the Middle Triassic rather than in the
Late Triassic period, according to Sterling Nesbitt, a
University of Washington postdoctoral researcher in
biology and lead author of a paper published online
Dec. 5 in Biology Letters. "If the newly named
Nyasasaurus parringtoni is not the earliest dinosaur,
then it is the closest relative found so far," Nesbitt
said. Working with one humerus or upper arm bone
and six vertebrae, Nesbitt and colleagues determined
that Nyasasaurus likely stood upright, measured 7 to
10 feet in length, was as tall as 3 feet at the hip and
weighed as much as 135 pounds. Unusual looks aside,
the analysis of the bones, which were kept partly in
London’s Natural History Museum and partly in the
South African Museum in Cape Town, prove that
dinosaurs have been around for an awfully long time.
"For 150 years, people have been suggesting that there
should be Middle Triassic dinosaurs, but all the
evidence is ambiguous," Nesbitt said. "Some scientists
used fossilized footprints, but we now know that other
animals from that time have a very similar foot. Other
scientists pointed to a single dinosaur-like
characteristic in a single bone, but that can be
misleading because some characteristics evolved in a
number of reptile groups and are not a result of a
shared ancestry." The fossilized bones were collected
in Tanzania, but it may not be correct to say dinosaurs
originated in that country. When Nyasasaurus
parringtoni lived, the world's continents were joined in
the landmass called Pangaea. Tanzania would have
been part of Southern Pangaea that included Africa,
South America, Antarctica and Australia. nEWs dEsK

Jumping spider that pioneered
space travel dies in museum

Students sickened
by Bob Marley drink
The first jumping spider to travel to space as
part of a YouTube competition has died four
days after going on display in a museum. The
spider, named Nefertiti, spent 100 days in space
at the International Space Station and travelled
42m miles but died of natural causes soon after
returning to the Smithsonian National Museum
of Natural History in Washington, DC, where it
was to be exhibited. The Johnson Jumper
(Phidippus johnsoni) spider was launched to
the ISS in July after 18-year-old Amr Mohamed
from Alexandria, Egypt, won the YouTube
Space Lab video contest.
Nefertiti, named after an Egyptian queen,
demonstrated that its species was able to adapt
to the effects of weightlessness and still catch its
prey. It then successfully readjusted to gravity
after its return to Earth in October. Amr believed

that the spider would have difficulty catching
fruit flies in space but Nefertiti learned to sidle
up to its prey rather than jump on it. It took a few
days to adapt to gravity on its return. Kelly
Carnes of the Smithsonian told the LA Times:
"The unexpected loss of this special animal who
inspired so many imaginations will be felt
throughout the museum community … The body
of Nefertiti will be added to the museum's collection of specimens where she will continue to contribute to our understanding of spiders." Nefertiti
was accompanied by Cleopatra, a zebra spider
which died shortly after touchdown. Female spiders were chosen because male spiders normally
stop eating when they are fully grown. The average lifespan of jumping spiders is about a year.
Nefertiti at the age of 10 months probably did not
have much longer to live anyway. nEWs dEsK

O

FFICIALS have removed a drink named
after reggae icon Bob Marley after several
New Jersey students fell ill. Marley's
Mellow Mood contains valerian root and
chamomile and is promoted to reduce stress. The
drink's nutrition facts say it may cause drowsiness
and isn't intended for children. However, students
at Satz Middle School and Holmdel High School
could buy it on campus. Several middle school
students fell ill. The Asbury Park Press reports the
school's food service provider has removed a
manager pending an investigation. Chartwells
School Dining Services also removed the Marley
product from other schools. The company said it is
taking the situation seriously. Students who
consumed the drink complained of lethargy,
headaches, nausea and elevated heart rates.
Officials are trying to determine how many
students were sickened. nEWs dEsK

Thursday, 6 December, 2012

ISB 06-12-2012_Layout 1 12/6/2012 2:26 AM Page 16

Thursday, 6 december, 2012

Hamilton happy for
rosberg reunion
Page 18

Bowlers put England in control
KALKOTA
agEnciEs

E

VEN India's back-to-form greatest batsman Sachin Tendulkar
was unable to stop England
grinding out an advantageous
position on day one of the third Test at Eden
Gardens. Veteran Tendulkar (76) remains
without a Test century in his last 29 innings
dating back to early 2011 - but he and opener
Gautam Gambhir (60) did manage to salvage a stumps total of 273 for seven.
On a pitch already offering some uneven bounce to the spinners, and some
carry and swing for the seamers with the
new and old ball, England could easily have
been more significantly-rewarded for their
disciplined and determined efforts.
James Anderson (three for 68) thought
he had Yuvraj Singh lbw for nought, but
could not convince umpire Rod Tucker ball
had hit pad in line, and Mahendra Singh
Dhoni was within inches of holing out at
midwicket off Graeme Swann first ball.
Instead, numbers six and seven each
went on to frustrate England - the former in
a stand of 79 with Tendulkar - in this pivotal
match of a four-Test series level at 1-1.
The signs were ominous for England
after Alastair Cook lost his third successive
toss of the series at a ground where India
have declared with more than 600 on the
board in the first innings of their last three
Tests. Cook's opposite number Dhoni had

Pcb inspection
team finds
everything in
order in chepauk

predicted a modicum of help for the pace
bowlers in the first hour, and so it proved for
Anderson and Steven Finn. It came to nothing, though, as Gambhir and Virender Sehwag approached a 50 stand - until their
running between the wickets failed them.
Sehwag clipped the first ball of the
11th over to midwicket. But Samit Patel
saved the boundary with a diving stop,
and Finn's race from mid-on in support
paid off handsomely when he threw in
over the stumps to comfortably run out

Sehwag after he was sent back for a third.
It was hardly the way England might have
envisaged taking the first wicket, but
proved the value of all their attention to
detail and painstaking training.
Monty Panesar's first success came in
more conventional, indeed classical, fashion. He had worked hard to draw Cheteshwar Pujara forward several times, and then
surprised him on the back foot with an arm
ball which snaked through the defence to
hit middle-stump. Gambhir, joined by

Tendulkar to the obligatory raucous crowd
reception at this cavernous stadium, appeared unperturbed by a failure from
India's prolific new number three. The lefthanded opener had hit 10 fours and duly
completed his 81-ball half-century with a
scampered single before lunch. But he was
first to go in the afternoon, laying back to
cut after losing the strike against Panesar
and edging a sharp chance to slip which
Jonathan Trott just about clung on to.
Tendulkar scratched his way to his first
20, regularly playing and missing at Finn
and then Anderson as Cook operated the
two seamers in tandem with Panesar. Finn's
fine spell was in vain, but Anderson got a deserved breakthrough when Virat Kohli
edged low to Swann at second slip. Swann
had bowled only three overs at that stage,
but was called into the attack to give Panesar
a rest after 21 unchanged.
Yuvraj began tentatively, but two driven
fours off Swann gave him confidence - and
after tea, he immediately went up the wicket
to Panesar and struck him for a straight six.
England were toiling by the time Yuvraj lost concentration and poked a catch
to cover off Swann, and it might have
been two in two next ball when Dhoni's
attempt to dominate from the outset
brought only a thick inside-edge just short
of Patel at midwicket. Tendulkar began to
live up to his billing, increasingly fluent in
a 155-ball innings which contained 13
fours but ended in anti-climax - and no

101st international hundred - when he followed some Anderson outswing and was
well-caught behind by Matt Prior, diving
low to his right. England then had an obvious chance to run out Ravichandran
Ashwin for just a single, he and Dhoni
contriving another India mix-up only for
Finn to fumble at mid-on when another
accurate return to the striker's end would
have done the trick.

arthur ponders
watson switch
PERTH
agEnciEs

Australia coach Mickey Arthur has suggested Shane Watson could move to number four in the batting order, with captain
Michael Clarke to stay at five. The retirement of Ricky Ponting leaves a gap in the
Australian top order ahead of the upcoming
three-Test series against Sri Lanka. Usman
Khawaja and Phil Hughes are favourites to
earn recalls, while Rob Quiney remains in
contention despite the slow start to his Test
career. While Arthur and the selection panel
remain undecided as to who will come in,
the South African said former opener Watson could drop further down the order. "We
haven't even discussed it yet, so I'm obviously putting a personal opinion," he said.
"Without wanting to name names, it will
probably be a guy who will come in and bat
three and possibly a move for Watto to four.
"It just looks right and gives us a bit of stability. "Michael and I, once we see who that
guy is - and we've got in our minds who we
think the guy is, but we still need to discuss
that as a selection panel - and then sit down
in Hobart next Monday when we arrive
there, we'll make a decision on what our
preferred batting order is going to be."

agEnciEs

ChEnnAI: Security arrangements for the first ODI between
India and Pakistan to be played at
the Chepauk here on December 30
were discussed at a high-level
meeting on Tuesday. Officials from
the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI),
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and
Tamil Nadu Cricket Association
(TNCA) met Commissioner of Police S George and discussed the security and other logistics for the
keenly-awaited encounter. They
discussed the itinerary of the
teams and place of stay and other
programmes with the Commissioner. The meeting was attended
by BCCI general manager (game
development) Ratnakar Shetty,
BCCI (Anti-Corruption and Security Unit) Ravi Sawani and cricket
operations (Manager) Suru Naik.
PCB representative Nadeem Sarwar, Pakistan Security (Director)
Ehsan Sadiq, Cricket Operations
(Manager) Usman Wahla, Tamil
Nadu Cricket Association member
Ganesan and secretary K S
Viswanathan also participated in
the meeting, the release added.
The India-Pakistan series will have
three ODIs and two Twenty20 Internationals between December 25
and January 6 next year. The ODI
matches will be played in Chennai,
Kolkata and New Delhi while the
Twenty20 games will be held in
Bangalore and Ahmedabad. agEnciEs

scOREbOaRd

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene has warned his team to
be wary of a backlash from Australia in their three-test series after
the hosts were stung by their series defeat to South Africa earlier
this week. Australia's hopes of snatching the Proteas' top test
ranking ended in a crushing 309-run defeat in the third and final
test in Perth on Monday, but Jayawardene took little comfort
from the home side's disappointment. "I see them as wounded
soldiers - they could come back stronger against us," Jayawardene told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday, on the eve of a
three-day tour match against a Chairman's XI side. "So we just
need to make sure we are ready for that and start well. "We can't
be complacent - we need to make sure we know from ball one we
give them a good go at it." Sri Lanka have their own problems
coming into the first test at Hobart next week, losing their last test
at home to New Zealand by 167 runs to level a two-match series 11, with key batsmen out of form. Kumar Sangakkara scored five,
nought and 16 in his three innings against New Zealand, but
Jayawardene backed the veteran to bounce back in Sri Lanka's
bid to win their first test Down Under. "I am happy that he went
through a lean phase because he'll be really hungry for runs that's Kumar for you," Jayawardene said of the 35-year-old stalwart. Jayawardene also said he would weigh up his future as captain after the series, which includes tests in Melbourne and
Sydney, after taking on the role for a second time in the wake of
Tillakaratne Dilshan's sudden resignation in January.

NZ’s Vettori likely to miss South Africa tour
WELLINGTON
agEnciEs

Former captain Daniel Vettori is almost
certain to miss New Zealand's tour of
South Africa later this month because he
has not recovered sufficiently from a troubling Achilles injury. Vettori has not yet
been officially ruled out of the tour by
New Zealand Cricket, but his Australian
Twenty20 franchise, the Brisbane Heat,
said they had been advised that the allrounder would be unable to play for at
least six weeks.
"Dan had a setback over the weekend
and despite his best efforts, he is highly
unlikely to be ready in time for our ...
matches, which is very unfortunate for
him, as we know how hard he has worked
to be ready," Heat General Manager Andrew Blucher said in a statement. "We

wish him a speedy recovery and trust he
is back playing soon."
The Australian Twenty20 "Big Bash"
tournament begins on Friday, while New
Zealand's tour of South Africa starts on
Dec. 18 and runs until Jan. 25. New
Zealand's squad for the two test, three
one-day, three Twenty20 match tour,
had been expected to be named earlier on
Wednesday but has been delayed until
Friday as speculation swirls around the
captaincy of Ross Taylor. Local media
have reported that Taylor's captaincy has
been questioned by a group of players
and that Brendon McCullum, who was a
candidate for the job when Taylor succeeded Vettori after the 2011 World Cup,
was likely to be named in his place.
Fairfax newspapers had reported
that McCullum was expected to be given
the captaincy of the limited overs side,

while Taylor retained the test captaincy.
Television New Zealand, however, reported on Wednesday that Taylor may
not even go to South Africa and NZC
Chief Executive David White, whose delayed return from an ICC meeting in
Dubai was one of the reasons why the
team announcement was pushed back to
Friday, refused to answer questions
about the captaincy. Media reported that
White's recommendation to the NZC
board was required before a change
could be made to the captaincy.
Taylor took to the social networking
site Twitter to try to dampen down speculation. "A lot of speculation out there,"
he wrote on his Twitter account. "I have
heard from the CEO once. I haven't made
any decisions. At no time have I given
NZC any ... ultimatums about (coach
Mike) Hesson or Me or South Africa."

ISB 06-12-2012_Layout 1 12/6/2012 2:26 AM Page 17

Sports 16
FAYSAL BANk T-20 CuP

Younis fires Abbottabad to a tight win
LAHORE
sTaFF REPORT

A

N attacking knock of 48 off 28 deliveries
from captain Younis Khan took Abbottabad Falcons to a last-ball five-wicket win
against Karachi Zebras at the Lahore City
Cricket Association Ground. Chasing 136, they had lost
four wickets for 71 runs in the 13th over, needing 68
off 43 balls, before Younis dominated his stands with
Baber Khan, and later Khalid Usman, and kept them
in the hunt. Karachi seamer Tabish Khan bowled economically, giving away 18 runs in his four overs.
After being put in to bat, Karachi kept losing wickets regularly. By the seventh over, four of their toporder batsmen had been dismissed. However, a
fighting 73-run stand in quick time between Daniyal
Ahsan and Sheharyar Ghani helped them build a solid
platform for acceleration towards the end. But that
didn't happen, as they lost their last six wickets for 19
runs, due to wickets by Amjad Waqas, Junaid Khan
and spinner Khalid Usman, who took three wickets in
the innings, and two run outs.
Abbottabad were in control of the chase at 67 for
2, with opener Hammad Ali having scored 35. Two
quick wickets and slow scoring pegged them back, before Younis played his match-winning hand.
Scores: Abbottabad Falcons 139 for 5 (Younis 48*,
Hammad 35) beat Karachi Zebras 135 (Ghani 46,
Ahsan 30, Usman 3-23) by five wickets
TIGErS PrEvAIL OvEr STALLIOnS: A solid
combined batting effort and a four-wicket haul by leftarm spinner Zulfiqar Babar ensured Multan Tigers'
convincing 42-run victory against Sialkot Stallions.
Sialkot's chances of chasing down 156 were blown away

warne open to
ashes return
MELBOURNE
agEnciEs

Former Australia leg-spinner Shane Warne
believes he still has the ability to play at the
highest level and will consider coming out of
retirement to play in next year's Ashes series
if asked by captain Clarke. "If your best friend
says, 'Mate, I want you to seriously consider
making a commitment to Australian cricket
and coming back out of retirement', (to)
make myself available for selection, that's a
different scenario,'' Warne, 43, told the Herald-Sun newspaper in Melbourne. "Especially
with back-to-back Ashes coming up next
year, it could be a 12-month thing where you
take three spinners with you and say, 'Righto,
work with these spinners and see how you go
for 12 months.' That's a different kettle of fish.
"I'm definitely not asking for Clarke to come
out and say that - that's a different scenario.
"You asked me if I think I could still play international cricket if I wanted to just turn up,
do my bowling and if the first Test match was
in three weeks, do you think I could play,
(then) I'd have no hesitation in saying yes and I think I'd do pretty well."

early when Zulfiqar, and seamers Mohammad Irfan
and Kashif Naved left them struggling at 29 for 5 in the
eighth over. Although captain Shoaib Malik and No. 7
Nayyar Abbas stuck together till the 12th over to repair
the damage, and Nayyar tried to steer the innings towards some respectability in the company of the lowerorder batsmen, the target proved too far off.
Multan's innings revolved around two productive
partnerships, and three knocks worth over 30 runs
each by opener Sohaib Maqsood, wicketkeeper Gulraiz
Sadaf and Naved Yasin, who remained unbeaten. They
also suffered a setback early in their innings, when
opener Zain Abbas was dismissed for four in the third
over. But a 44-run stand between Maqsood and Sadaf,
and a 54-run stand in 5.1 overs between Yasin and
Kashif Naved took them to 155 for 7 after 20 overs.
Scores: Multan Tigers 155 for 6 (Maqsood 38,
Yasin 34*, Sadaf 32, Malik 3-17) beat Sialkot Stallions
113 for 7 (Nayyar 43*, Zulfiqar 4-15) by 42 runs
MISBAh, IMrAn LEAD wOLvES TO EASy
wIn: After a slow start, captain Misbah-ul-Haq and
Imran Khalid helped Faisalabad Wolves chase 136 in
18.2 overs and defeat Peshawar Panthers by seven
wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium. The duo, having been
together at the crease since the 11th over, did not hit
a single boundary till the 13th over, when the required run rate had gone beyond eight per over. An
expensive 14th over, in which four boundaries were
hit, and the 16th over, of which 11 runs were taken,
made the chase easier. Needing 18 runs off 18 deliveries, two fours, a six, and five singles took them
home with ten balls to spare.
Peshawar, it seemed, paid the price for the want of
better acceleration in their innings. Their innings run
rate could have been higher than the eventual 6.75 per

over, as they had lost only four wickets after 20 overs.
Opener Israrullah scored a half-century, Shoaib Khan
snr scored an unbeaten 24 off 30 deliveries. At 107 for
4 at the end of the 18th over, middle-order batsman
Zohaib Khan smashed three sixes and eight fours to
take his team to 135 for 4.
Scores: Faisalabad Wolves 137 for 3 (Misbah 43*,
Khalid 36*) beat Peshawar Panthers 135 for 4 (Israrullah 56) by seven wickets
BAhAwALPUr OvErhAUL EAGLES: Imranullah Aslam was the star of the chase as Bahawalpur
overhauled Lahore Eagles' total with eight wickets in
hand and continued their unbeaten run in the tournament. Imranullah shared a quick half-century
stand for the first wicket with Hamid Ali and then
added 38 runs for the second wicket with Kashif Siddiq. By the time he was out, for 60 off 46 balls, the
Stags needed 33 off 43 balls. Kashif ensured that
there was no further damage as the chase was completed with 17 balls to spare.
Eagles, after choosing to bat, were in early trouble
as they lost three wickets with 30 runs on the board in
the sixth over. But skipper Taufeeq Umar scored a
half-century and shared a 74-run stand with Raza Ali
Dar to revive the innings. The lower order, however,
crumbled again and Eagles were limited to 136.
Scores: Bahawalpur Stags 140 for 2 (Imranullah
60, Kashif 39*) beat Lahore Eagles 136 for 7 (Taufeeq
53, Talha 2-19) by eight wickets
LIOnS ShOw COLLECTIvE BOwLInG
PErfOrMAnCE: A collective bowling performance by Lahore Lions helped them defeat Quetta
Bears by 44 runs. Although Quetta's left-arm spinners Jalat Khan and Mohibullah took three wickets
each to restrict Lahore to 130 for 9, their batsmen

let them down.
Lahore's innings was built on productive knocks
by the top five batsmen, all scoring between 19 and
26 runs, which helped them to 109 for 4. But they too
collapsed, as the last five batsmen scored 16 run between them. Opener Nasir Jamshed was the highest
scorer in the match with 26.
Quetta went about their chase slowly, but two
quick wickets in the 10th and 11th overs pegged them
back. Three more batsmen were dismissed quickly,
but after having lost seven wickets for 69 in the 15th
over, they scored a further 17 runs off the remaining
deliveries. Their run rate at the end of the game was
4.30 runs per over.
Scores: Lahore Lions 130 for 9 (Jamshed 26, Mohibullah 3-15, Jalat 3-23) beat Quetta Bears 86 for 7
(Altaf 2-1) by 44 runs
ShOAIB GUIDES rAMS TO wIn OvEr
hAwkS: An unbeaten half-century by Shoaib
Ahmed was the highlight of Rawalpindi Rams 19-run
win against Hyderabad Hawks at the Gaddafi Stadium. Shoaib shared a 75-run stand with captain Sohail Tanvir that lifted the team from a tricky 63 for 4.
After Tanvir's dismissal, Shoaib carried on the acceleration as 61 came off the last five overs.
In their chase, Aqeel Ahmed and Rizwan Anjum
put up 56 runs for the third wicket, but the lack of
boundaries in the partnership pushed the scoring rate
up. One Rizwan fell, the incoming batsmen were not
able to keep up with the required rate and lost their
wickets. Aqeel, who scored an unbeaten 75 off 48 balls,
remained unbeaten as the team fell short by 19 runs.
Scores: Rawalpindi Rams 177 for 6 (Shoaib 50*,
Tanvir 43) beat Hyderabad Hawks 158 for 6 (Aqeel
75*, Zia 2-24) by 19 runs

South Africa look to
build on Australia win
CAPE TOWN
agEnciEs

South Africa want to use their recent series win in Australia as a stepping stone
to cement their position as the world's
dominant test team and to build something "really special", captain Graeme
Smith said on Wednesday. The Proteas,
who have not lost an away test series
since 2006, won their second consecutive series in Australia after their victory
in the third test in Perth. They have a
rating of 123 in the test rankings, with
England in second place on 117.
South Africa take on New Zealand in
a two-test home series in January and
Smith said the tests would provide the
Proteas the opportunity to build on the
momentum from Australia.
"We are enjoying the opportunity to
be here. We have worked hard to be here
and we knew that Australia would be the
big stepping stone for us holding onto
number one (ranking)," Smith told a

news conference. "We have given ourselves the opportunity for our home
summer to create a bit of a gap between
us and the other teams. It is an opportunity to build something really special.
The motivation for us will be to beat
New Zealand first up," he added. South

Africa's success in the test arena has led
to some calling the current Proteas team
the best ever, but coach Gary Kirsten
was quick to play down such suggestions. "It is a very special achievement
for the Proteas and South African
cricket. I don't think that what this team
has achieved, over a long period, should
be taken lightly," said Kirsten.
"It has been nothing short of remarkable. We have played 10 test
matches this year, nine away from
home, and won series in England and
Australia.
"But it is always difficult to compare (different eras). In terms of this
team's achievements there is no doubt
that they are up there but I think that
the players would be reluctant to compare with different eras."
South Africa, who became the first
team to win consecutive series in Australia since West Indies in 1992/93, had
found success due to a growing maturity in the squad, Smith said.

The Flying Dutch Hockey team on
Wednesday defeated the young guns of the
Dar Academy in a tightly-contested second
match of the three-match series here at the
Johar Hockey Stadium. The Dar Academy
which was leading the game at half time 21 lost the match 4-5 after the completion of
the regulation time. The Flying Dutch
Hockey team is visiting Lahore on the invitation of the Dar Hockey Academy and
with the support of the Sports Board Punjab, which is following the vision of the
Punjab government in holding national
and international sports events.
Mian Hamza Shahbaz, MNA and former chairman SBP was the chief guest of
the hockey match and presented souvenirs
to the visiting teams lased with five
Olympians and international Dutch hockey
players. Usman Anwar, Director General
Sports and Youth Affairs was also present
on the occasion along with former international Pakistan hockey players and
Olympians like Khawaja Zakauddin, Danish Kaleem, Tauqir Dar, who is also presi-

dent of the Dar Academy were also present
on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion,
Hamza said that the Punjab government
not only held international sports activity
in the province but also displayed to the
world that the country is safe for holding
any international tournament. “By holding
the Punjab International Sports Festival we
have given the soft image of the country
and the world has now realised that Pakistan is safe to host any international team,”
he said. “We have not only established 11
world records but also showed to the world

more than 2.5 million people took part in
the Punjab Youth Festival,” he maintained.
He further said that even though he is
not the chairman of the SBP but the Punjab
government has shown to the world that
the Pakistan people have immense talent
and are not less than anybody in the world.
Although Dutch took lead in the early
minutes of the match through Wanter Van
Pelt but Umair leveled the score in a brilliant field move. Later Dar Academy’s
Manssor provided lead to his team in also
a field attack and that 2-1 score remained

intact till the breather. Later in the second
half Dutch veterans added four more goals
through Van Pelt, hit in his second and the
teams third goal, Gys Wetering, added two
goals and Mark Kleysen scored one to ensure win for the Flying Dutch team.
The visiting Holland Veterans will
played their third match of the series
against Pakistan veterans here at the Johar
Hockey Stadium on Friday (December 7)
and SBP is holding this matfch as part of its
International Sports Festival activity.
Expressing his surprise on the progress
of the Dar Academy team players, Dutch
team manager Bob said that he has seen
these youngsters playing in Holland a year
ago and they have improved their game a
lot. He also expressed his surprise over the
wrong impression being spread about Pakistan regarding insecurity and praised the
treatment they were given thus far during
their stay in Pakistan. The Dutch veterans
apart from playing hockey are also visiting
historic and places of interest like Wagha
Border, Lahore Fort, Badshahi Masjid etc.
and as a good will guesture they have also
brought 200 hockey playing kits for the
Pakistan youngsters.

Samuels, narine
keep series alive
MIRPUR
cRicinFO

With the series at stake, West Indies saved
face with a four-wicket win in Mirpur, set
up by the spinners and a calm century by
Marlon Samuels. West Indies were set
228, not a daunting target on paper, but
with their recent batting collapses and
struggles and spin, a comeback win for the
visitors couldn't be taken for granted. The
spinners created chances and closed the
gap between the two sides towards the
end, but Samuels was the wicket
Bangladesh wanted. They dismissed him,
but a little too late, as West Indies were
only six away from victory with four overs
to spare. Earlier, the pitch had plenty to
keep the spinners interested under lights,
but West Indies ensured no repeat of the
top-order collapse in the second ODI in
Mirpur, and progressed steadily towards
the target of 228. Marlon Samuels looked
ominous with a half-century, with a steady
Kieran Powell for company.

The Government College University Lahore has won the All Pakistan Tennis
competition, organised by Higher Education Commission. The team GCU beat the
University of Lahore in the finals held in
Karachi. Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Khaliq-ur-Rahman congratulate the
team on winning the competition.

‘city’s european exit
can be a title boost’
LONDON
agEnciEs

Manchester City's dismal exit from European competition is not an embarrassment and could boost the big-spending
club's defence of the Premier League
title, according to manager Roberto
Mancini. City's haul of just three points
from six games was the worst performance by an English club in the Champions League group stage with Mancini's
men finishing bottom of Group D and
failing to qualify for the Europa League
as well. Newspaper headlines on
Wednesday spoke of City as "The Worst
Ever" and dubbed them "320 million
pound flops". Mancini saw
a silver lining in Tuesday's 1-0 defeat to
Borussia Dortmund, however.
"Clearly this can
help us win the
Premier League
because we don't
play in the Europa
League," he told
reporters.

Westwood set to
defend title
THAILAND
agEnciEs

W

ORLD number six Lee Westwood is
ready to reprise his record-breaking
form when he defends his title at the
US$1 million Thailand Golf Championship. The
Englishman romped to a stylish seven-stroke victory at the Amata Spring Country Club
last year, highlighted by an opening
round of 12-under-par 60 for a new
course record where he came
close to firing the Asian Tour's
first ever 59. With the Asian Tour's
showpiece being his final event of 2012,
Westwood
is keen to
end his year
on a high note
by capturing a
third victory of the
season against a stellar
field which includes reigning Masters Tournament
champion Bubba Watson, last
year's runner-up Charl Schwartzel,
Japan's Ryo Ishikawa, Ryder Cup
stars Nicolas Colsaerts and Sergio
Garcia, 2011 British Open champion Darren Clarke and the Asian
Tour's top stars led by current number
one Thaworn Wiratchant. "Yeah, lots of great
memories. I supposed shooting 60 in the first
round was fairly memorable and then following up
with a 64 to lead by 11 after two rounds, I can't
think when that has ever happened," said the 39year-old Westwood. Westwood believes another
60 could be on the cards although the picturesque
par-72 course is playing longer and tougher due to
the rain in recent weeks and the thicker rough
which lines the fairways. "I was thinking of a 57
since it's soft out there and the greens are holding," Westwood cheekily replied when asked if he
was eyeing another 60. "I've only shot 60 once in
my life. That was special. You need everything to
go right most of the time. It's been done once and
it can be done again." He rated his year as "steady
but not spectacular" despite two wins in In-

donesia and Sweden and playing a role in Europe's
amazing Ryder Cup victory over the United States
in September. "My game is pretty good. I finished
sixth in the WGC (HSBC Champions in China) and
fifth last week (Nedbank Challenge in South
Africa). It's ticking over. My game is not as good as
I like it but I'm making some changes. The second
half of the year has been volatile. There's not been
a lot of continuity. It's been steady but not spectacular this year. "It was a strong field last year
and a strong field again this year. (But) I want to
finish the year strongly with a win but it's that
time of the year when I'm getting a bit
tired," he said. Westwood took time to
pay tribute to the Asian Tour and
Asian golfers for the rapid growth
of the game in the Far East. "The
Tour over here has made massive
strides and it's shown around the
world on different channels now
and it's helped Asian golfers become more worldly kind of players and they can compete
overseas," he said. South
Africa's Schwartzel, the Masters champion in 2011, has
bounced back to form in recent weeks following bouts
with injuries and he hopes
to go one better in this
week's Thailand Golf Championship after playing second
fiddle to Westwood 12
months ago. "I've been playing injury free the past month
and a half and am able to
swing the club better. I've
played nicely the past few
weeks. It's been fifth, third,
second and hopefully first this
week!" he smiled. "I had a
great year last year and had a
good time here. But Lee was so
far ahead after two rounds, we
were playing for second spot. I
was happy to get the invite to
come back and see if I can get
one better than last year."

Wenger takes positives from defeat
MILAN
agEnciEs

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger did his
best to remain upbeat despite a 2-1 defeat
to Olympiacos wrecking their chances of
finishing top of Champions League Group
B. With qualification already secured
ahead of the fixture, Wenger had elected
to leave several first-team regulars behind
as 20-year-old defender Jernade Meade
made his European debut. Although
Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky fired the
English side ahead after 38 minutes, the
Greeks fought back through a somewhat
controversial effort by Giannis Maniatis
and a well-taken strike from substitute
Kostas Mitroglou. The defeat, coupled
with Schalke's draw in Montpellier, saw
the Gunners finish as runners-up behind
the Bundesliga side. And although
Wenger was unhappy with Olympiacos'
opening goal, he had few other complaints about his team's performance.
"It was an interesting game," he told
ITV1. "We had a good first half and we
had two or three chances to score a second goal, but we needed a second goal
tonight. "The younger players did well for
an hour, that is very positive. Now we
have to wait for the draw, but ideally you
want to finish first (in the group). "The

first goal was a goal kick, though, simple
as that. What the referee behind the
goalline is doing nobody knows, but I
don't think it was the right decision.
"We had a positive game. It was not
the result we wanted but overall it was a
very encouraging game." Defeat in the
Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium for a second successive season coupled with

Schalke's draw in Montpellier means Arsenal will head into the knockout stages
without the security of a top seeding.
Wenger, though, is not overly concerned. He said: "We need a good Christmas present now (in the draw), but we
will see. "We can get a bad draw or less
strong team, but you normally get strong
teams through anyway now.
"The disadvantage is we have is we
play the second game away, but that is
not statistically proven to be a such a disadvantage. "Let's see, but for now it is
important for us to focus on the [domestic] championship, forget about the
Champions League a little bit and get
ourselves back in decent form in the
championship." Wenger tried to remain
upbeat despite the disappointing final
outcome in Athens. "We left eight or nine
players at home and we had a positive
game," he said. "We had a good first half,
but we dropped physically in the second
half because many players lack competition at that level and therefore we couldn't take the chances for the second goal.
"We also got a very bad decision against
us on the goal. I am not against the fifth
referee, but you would like at least for
them to be concentrated on their job, but
that was not the case tonight, Wojciech
Szczesny was far away from the ball.

we must beat
Shakhtar: marchisio
MILAN
agEnciEs

Juventus are currently second in Group
E with nine points and will face group
leaders Shakhtar evening needing only
a point to guarantee a spot in the next
stage.
Howevr, Marchisio, who will miss the
tie after reaching the yellow card limit
in the Champions League, has urged
his team mates to go for a win.
"A draw is not what we're after. It's a
risk for both teams to play for a draw.
We have to go there to play our own
game and try to win the match,"
Marchisio was quoted as saying by Tuttosport.
"We are aware of their quality. They sit
atop of the group and are the strongest
team we have faced so far. It's true that
we put in a great performance against
Chelsea, but we aren't there yet.
"It will not be an easy game and we will
have to put in a performance similar to
the one against Chelsea. We have to remain cautious and cannot let them surprise us."
Juventus will top the group should they
win, finish second with a draw and possibly go out if they lose the match.

Two matches decided in NBP Gold Cup Hockey
LAHORE
sTaFF REPORT

Pakistan Customs surprised star studded
PIA 2-1 and Wapda outplayed Sui
Southeran Gas Company 4-2 in the NBP
Gold Cup Hockey Tournament at the
outer ground of the National Hockey Stadium here on Wednesday. It was an expected win on part of Customs against
Airlines and the winners struck a brilliant
show of skillful hockey and technique.
Customs led the first half 1-0 at break
after receiving 28th minute field goal

Thursday, 6 December, 2012

LonDon: rory
mcIlroy with Dubai
world championship
as he was named the
player of the year.

from their captain Rizwan Khan. PIA
came in patches but failed to make a productive impression on their opponents
who were far ahead in attacks launched
by their mid field with the aid of their
both right and left flanks. Customs appeared in total control when Amir Ali
scored the 52nd minute field goal for the
much disappointment of Airlines.
Airlines gained some relief when
Kashif Ali translated the 58th minute
short corner with a calculated shot.
Wapda and SSGC played a 1-1 draw at
half time. Wapda jolted SSGC with the

addition of a goal in the very first minute
through Shahbaz Ali as SSGC leveled
one minutes before the end of the first
after receiving a goal from Zeeshan.
Wapda played the second half with
splerndid display of artistic hockey hammering three more goals to leave their
opponents in deep gloom. Salman Hussain scored the 40th minute goal as Sohail Abbas contributed a penalty corner
goal in the 62nd minute and Mohammad Suleman added 69th minutefield
goal before Sohail Manzoor supported
SSGC with a penalty corner goal.

DAM Scott will probably go
back to using a broomstick
putter at this week's Australian Open after "messing
around" with a shorter club in practice, the
world number seven said on Wednesday.
The 32-year-old, who has used the broomstick variety for the past two seasons, practiced for this week's tournament at The
Lakes Golf Club with a specially-designed
40-inch putter and also used it for nine
holes of the pro-am on Wednesday.
Broomhandle or belly putters, pioneered
by 2002 European Ryder Cup captain
Sam Torrance among others in the late
1980s, are often tucked under the chin,
against the chest or stomach.
Golf's rulemakers have proposed a
ban on players anchoring long putters to
their body, saying they wanted to outlaw
the practice by 2016 in order to preserve
the "skill and challenge" of putting.
"I ordered that putter a while back,"
Scott told reporters in Sydney. "I was experimenting for my own use. "I'll probably putt with the long putter. The other
one I was messing around with was my
first go and it is not quite what I want it to
do. It is not quite set up right for me.
"I'll have another go at another time
if I feel I need to." Scott, who won the
Australian Masters at Kingston Heath in
Melbourne last month, has been a vocal
supporter of the longer putters and the
Queenslander doubted he would change
his club next year. "I think I putt fine
with any putter. I have spent the last two
years learning a skill with the broomstick
putter and that is what I am going to use
this week, most likely.
"Until I invent a better way to putt for
myself, I'll stick to the broomstick. I certainly like a lot of the philosophies of putting with a broomstick." Even if the ban
on anchoring came into use, Scott said he
might still use a long putter. "Whatever
way I putt in the future, if I just move the
hand off my chest an inch or a centimetre
or whatever it is, I'll be making an honest
stroke. It will look exactly the same.
"It is simple. I can move it slightly off
my chest and use the same putter but I
think there are better ways than that. "We
are all searching for the best possible way

Mcilroy wins PGA Player
of the Year award
LOnDOn: Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy was named as the PGA Tour Player
of the Year on Tuesday, capping an outstanding season for the world number one.
As expected, the 23-year-old was the popular choice for the annual Jack Nicklaus
Award, decided by a vote from eligible tour players, becoming the youngest recipient since Tiger Woods in 1998. McIlroy won four PGA Tour titles this year, including the PGA Championship by a record eight strokes. Nicklaus held the previous
record margin for the last major on the golfing calendar, winning the 1980 PGA
Championship by seven shots. "It's always nice to get recognition from your peers,
the guys that you're trying to beat week in, week out," McIlroy said on a conference call. "I guess it's just a great way to end what has been a great year and my
best season so far." McIlroy also won the Honda Classic, Deutsche Bank Championship and BMW Championship and the Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average. He also won the money lists for the PGA and European Tours, making his
selection a virtual formality on a final ballot that included Jason Dufner, Brandt
Snedeker, Bubba Watson and Woods. "It's no surprise that Rory McIlroy was
voted by the players and his peers as the best Player of the Year," PGA TOUR
Commissioner Tim Finchem said. John Huh won the rookie of the year award
after becoming the youngest player in more than a decade to qualify for the Tour
Championship. Huh, 22, broke through for his first win at the Mayakoba Golf
Classic in February, enduring an eight-hole playoff with Robert Allenby. agEnciEs
and I think there are still better ways for
me to go about it." Scott suffered a spectacular meltdown at the British Open in
July, losing a four-shot lead with four
holes to play to finish second behind
Ernie Els. While he said he had shaken off
that disappointment, losing a major in
that fashion made him more determined
to win one. "Everyone's path to winning a
first tournament or a major is different.
Tiger came along and won them all right
out of the gate and other guys have won
the first time they've had a chance too.
"Then a guy like Phil Mickelson
knocked on the door a lot of times and finally won one. "For me, I'm just looking
forward to getting back in that position as
soon as I possibly can, hopefully in April,
and certainly this weekend as well.
fInALLy frEE Of 'SCAr TISSUE',
rOSE EyES wIn DOwn UnDEr:
Globe-trotting Briton Justin Rose will
battle jetlag and local favourite Adam
Scott at the Australian Open in Sydney
this week as he seeks to cap his outstanding year with a win Down Under. Rose
has little left to prove after finishing second on the European Tour money's list
behind Rory McIlroy but victory would
help the 32-year-old forget his dreadful

showing at the invitational Nedbank Golf
Challenge last week. Rose finished second to Northern Irishman McIlroy at the
DP World Tour Championship two
weeks ago, with a course record 62 in his
final round in Dubai, but promptly fell
from the sublime to the ridiculous at Sun
City, where he crashed out to finish second-last in the field of 12.
"I think it was just a hiccup," the
South Africa-born Rose told reporters on
Wednesday. "Sometimes when you are
around family, subconsciously you want
to play really, really well for them. "I
think there was an element of frustration.
I think it was the first week when the season caught up with me. That is natural.
"I think you are allowed to play poorly
once in a while and let it be water off a
duck's back." Rose has every reason to
give himself a break, having boosted his
world ranking to a career-high fourth
after a season boasting wins at the WGCCadillac Championship in March and the
World Golf Final in Turkey in October.
Rose, who finished seventh on the
USPGA Tour money list, returns to the
Australian Open a far different player
from the newly-minted professional who
competed for the 1998 title.

agEnciEs

Rafael Benitez insisted he did not need
another "miracle" to rescue Chelsea from
Champions League humiliation. Benitez
famously masterminded what was
dubbed 'The Miracle of Istanbul' seven
and a half years ago when Liverpool produced one of the greatest comeback in
European Cup final history to beat AC
Milan. But he declared on Tuesday afternoon that Chelsea did not require divine
intervention to avoid becoming the first
Champions League holders to crash out
of the competition before Christmas.
That is despite the Blues going into
Wednesday's final Group E game needing
to beat Nordsjaelland while hoping
Shakhtar Donetsk produce the same result against Juventus. Anything else and
the team which ended their agonising
wait for Champions League glory just six
months ago will suffer the indignity of
continuing their European campaign in
the Europa League. Interim manager
Benitez acknowledged Chelsea might
need "a bit of luck" on Wednesday night
but said: "I don't think it's a miracle. "We
have to do our job and wait for the other
teams." Benitez reiterated he had no
fears of a Shakhtar stitch-up, despite a
draw suiting both the Ukrainian
champions and Juve. The
Spaniard arguably should
be less concerned about
the mentality of the group
leaders and more worried
about that of his own side,
who are on their worst
run in the Barclays Premier
League for 15
years after failing to win any
of their three
matches
since he
took
charge.

PeSHawar: Japanese wrestlers in action during exhibition match at qayyum Sports complex. INP

Lewis Hamilton is already looking forward to the new Formula One season
where he will race alongside "bestfriend" Nico Rosberg at Mercedes.
Hamilton placed fourth in the standings following the recent conclusion of
the 2012 F1 season for his former
team McLaren. It was a frustrating
campaign for the Brit, who actually
won more races than second-placed
Fernando Alonso, as his MP4-27
struggled to make the most out of the
championship points on offer. In Singapore, for example, a gearbox failure
on lap 23 during this year's grand prix
prevented him from completing a
pole-to-flag victory. And just five days
later, Hamilton made the shock announcement that he would switch to
the Mercedes team next year. On his
return to Singapore on Tuesday, the
27-year-old donned McLaren colours
for one of the last few times as he
spoke at an event organised by the
Peter Lim Scholarship foundation in
ITE College West. Hamilton cut an enthusiastic figure as he looked ahead
towards the 2013 season and a reunion with his 2000 Formula A karting championship team-mate Rosberg.
"I haven't seen the Mercedes team, I
won't link up with them till January
but Nico lives in the same building as
me. We were team-mates back in
2000 while racing go-karts," Hamilton told ESPNSTAR.com.

The second edition of the Asia Deaf
cricket Cup will be played here from December 11 at different venues with four
foreign teams participating.
This was stated by Zaheer ud Din
Babar , Chief Executive Officer, Asian
deaf Cricket Federation , at a news conference here on Wednesday. Also present were Raza Rafique, President
Pakistan Deaf Cricket Association and
Irfan Miraj, Secretary PDCA.
Zaheer who is also the manager of
PDCA said foreign teams taking part in
the event include India, Sri Lanka, Nepal
and Afghanistan. “Pakistan will defend

the title in the event which aims at promoting cricket among special people
who have impaired hearing,” he added.
He praised the worthy contribution
of Pakistan Cricket Board for sponsoring
this event after their requests to a number of private business houses for extending financial assistance ended in
failure. “We are thankful to the Chairman, PCB, Mohammad Zaka Ashraf for
serving the cause of deaf cricket and extending all out support for holding this
event and we believe that PCB's contribution will go a long way in bringing
good name for Pakistan deaf cricket
abroad,” said Zaheer.
He said the matches will be played at
LCCA, Bagh-e-Jinnah grounds with he

final December 17 final to be played at
Gadaffi stadium. “If Gadaffi stadium will
not be available then we will be holding
the final at Bagh-e-Jinnah ground,” he
said.
PDCA official said all arrangements
have been finalized with the cooperation
fo different government quarters for
providing top security to the participating teams . “The matches will be 50overs-a-side and we anticipate good
crowds at all the venues.”
He said efforts have been to groom a
strong Pak team to successfully defend
the title. “We arranged country wide trials and the best available talent was
picked to gel it with experience and we
are fully confident that our team is going

to produce a outstanding show to live
upto the expectations,” he said.
Two matches will be played every
day. He said the holding of the Asia cup
will send a positive message to outer
world regarding Pakistan which is fully
capable of organizing elite sport events .
He said it was quite unfortunate that
deaf cricketers despite being the Asian
champions were without jobs and appealed to the Government to provide
jobs to talented deaf cricketers who are
playing their due role in the building of
a healthy society despite having hearing
deficiencies. He also appealed to the
business houses to lend support to deaf
cricket by sponsoring their national and
junior level tournaments.

Thursday, 6 December, 2012

ISB 06-12-2012_Layout 1 12/6/2012 2:26 AM Page 20

Thursday, 6 December, 2012

19

Indian PM cancels
visit to Pakistan
NEW DELHI
inP

I
caiRO: Protesters chant anti-Morsi slogans in front of the presidential palace
after Egypt’s opposition called for mass protests against the government.

Captain among three killed
in Wana suicide attack
Security personnel avoid major catastrophe by causing
bomber’s vehicle to detonate some distance away from army
camp g At least 20 people left injured
g

PESHAWAR
sTaFF REPORT

At least three personnel of security
forces, including a captain, were
killed and around 20 others injured
in a suicide attack at Ziari Noor military camp in Wana, South Waziristan
Agency, on Wednesday.
The deceased captain of the armed
forces was identified as Captain Iqrar.
Per details the security personnel were
on duty at the main gate of the camp
when they saw a pickup truck speeding towards the facility. After the
driver ignored signals to slow down,

the security officials opened fire on the
vehicle, triggering a massive blast apparently caused by explosives packed
in the vehicle.
Officials said that the explosion razed
the boundary wall of the camp and
caused the compound of a hospital
next to the camp to collapse, injuring a
number of people.
The condition of several of the injured
was stated to be in danger.
The officials said the vehicle of attack
was manned by two people, who they
believed had also been killed.
Following the explosion, security forces
rushed the injured and the dead to

Agency Headquarter Hospital and cordoned off the area for rescue activities.
No group has claimed responsibility
for the suicide attack.
A few days ago, pro-government militant commander Mullah Nazir was
also injured in a suicide attack in
Wana that had claimed eight lives.
After that attack, Nazir and the local administration had directed all militants
from the Mehsud tribe to leave Wana,
however, the Mehsuds, loyal to TTP
chief Hakeemullah Mehsud, have so far
been reluctant to leave the area. Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari strongly
condemned the suicide attack.

dr arsalan returned rs 4.5m to Khalil’s manager
ISLAMABAD
agEnciEs

The Shoib Suddle
Commission probing
into the Arsalan-Malik
Riaz scandal has
prepared its interim
report, according to
which Dr Arsalan
Iftikhar has returned
Rs 4.5 million to
Ahmed Khalil’s
manager.
The report said Arslan now
owed less than Rs 500,000
and the copies of paid
cheuqes had been
submitted with
the

commission.
The report noted that the
amount spent on Arsalan’s
foreign trips was less than Rs
5 million.
The report said the woman,
who was travelling with
Arsalan, was Khalil’s wife and
he was travelling with them.
The sources said the
commission also pointed out
the lack of cooperation on part
of the Interior Ministry.
The report further added that
it found no proof to back the
allegations against Arsalan
Iftikhar. It said Riaz had
alleged that Arsalan had
usurped Rs340 million, but
provided no proof to back up
this claim. The commission
added that despite issuing five
notices to the business tycoon,
he failed to make an
appearance.

NDIAN Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh has cancelled his visit to Pakistan, saying it is not the right time to
embark on it.
In a letter to President Asif Ali Zardari, he
said while he still wanted to visit Pakistan, this
was not the right time to do so.
However, sources said otherwise.
“The PM found it difficult to visit Pakistan
just two days after the anniversary of Mumbai
attacks, while the main accused have still not
been brought to book,’’ a source said.
The sources also confirmed that Singh
wrote to Zardari before Ajmal Kasab was
hanged. The letter, which was delivered to
Zardari’s office by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, Singh recalled how he had
always told Pakistani leaders that he wanted
to visit the country but regretted that it was
not conducive for him to visit Pakistan at the
time mentioned by the president in his invitation. Keeping hopes alive for the much awaited
trip, Singh said he still wanted to visit Pakistan
and strengthen ties between the two nations.
“The two sides will continue to look for the
right opportunity for my visit to Pakistan,” he
wrote in his letter. Considering the ‘narrow
window’, as an official had put it, ahead of
elections in Pakistan, it is now clear that the
visit would not take place even early next year.
There had been wild speculation in the
media for months about whether or not Singh
will visit Pakistan anytime soon. The Indian
Foreign Ministry sought to put an end to these

Senate Chairman
Bokhari in New Delhi
nEw DELhI: Senate Chairman Nayyer
Hussain Bokhari reached New Delhi on
Wednesday on a joint invitation of the
Rajya Sabha chairman and the Lok Sabha
speaker. The delegation received a warm
welcome at the Indira Gandhi
International Airport by members of the
Rajya Sabha Taroon Vijay and Dr Prabha
Thakor, who presented bouquets to the
members of the delegation. Pakistan’s
High Commissioner Salman Bashir was
also present. Talking to reporters, Bokhari
said they had come to India with a message
of peace and love. “Parliamentarians of the
both the sides can play an active role to
develop understanding between the two
countries,” he remarked. Bokhari
underscored the need for more bilateral
visits at parliamentary level. Bokhari is
accompanied by senators Rubina Khalid,
Hari Ram, Abdul Haseeb Khan, Heman
Das, Malik Najmul Hassan and Kamran.
Pakistan National Assembly Speaker Dr
Fehmida Mirza has already visited India
twice. Similarly, Indian Lok Sabha Speaker
Meira Kumar also visited Pakistan in
February and November this year. inP
speculations when its officials suggested on
November 16 that it may not be possible for
Singh to visit Pakistan anytime soon, but did
not mention Singh’s letter to Zardari.

ATC says no permission needed to
release BB murder probe report
MONITORING DESK
An-Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) on
Wednesday ruled that the federal
government did not need anyone’s
permission to make public the investigation
report and judicial proceedings into the
assassination of former PM Benazir Bhutto.
The court was hearing an application by the
Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) moved
on directives of the federal government that
sought court’s permission to make public

the investigation report and judicial
proceedings into Benazir’s murder.
The plea stated that the people were
concerned over the delay in verdict into the
case despite the passage of five years. It
added that the federal government wanted
to release the joint interrogation report and
proceedings of trial court for the public.
ATC Judge Habibur Rehman disposed of
the application, ruling that the government
did not need any permission to make the
report public.

Gilani refuses to appear before NaB
MONITORING DESK
Former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani
has refused to appear before the National
Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a case
pertaining to the implementation of the
controversial National Reconciliation
Ordinance, a private TV channel
reported on Wednesday.
NAB had summoned the former prime
minister on the directives of the Supreme
Court for appointing his friend Adnan A
Khwaja as managing director of the Oil
and Gas Development Company Limited in
September 2010 in violation of rules. The
channel said Khwaja was not eligible
to be appointed for any government
office as he had been convicted
in a case. However, he
was given relief
under the NRO
and was given the
key post in the
OGDCL. The
Supreme Court

had declared Khwaja’s appointment as null and void.
In this respect, Gilani’s counsel said
the constitution awarded
immunity to him, who had
been summoned by the NAB
to record his statement in the
case on December 11. Earlier
on Tuesday, Prime Minister’s
Adviser on Political Affairs
Fawwad Chaudhry, who also
held the post when Gilani
was in office, had stated
that under Article 248 of
the constitution no court
proceedings could be held
against the president, prime
minister, governors and
ministers.